Cold Hard Bitch
by CyKiESuMMerS
Summary: UPDATE: CHAPTER13-She's cold, she's hard, and she's a... Someone new shakes things up in Bayville. When almost everyone who meets this scandalous socialite thinks she's a cold hard bitch, can she warm the heart of one mutant leader? He pines for his perfect girl who gets swept up in the glory of high school popularity, will his heart change? Does the new girl have sinister motives?
1. Chapter 1

Morning.

Get up. Have breakfast.

Note on the fridge. It's from Jean. "Out of tampons! Please get. Love, Jean".

Groan inwardly. Not that I don't love her, but can't she get her own tampons?

Suck it up. Get dressed. Drive to store.

Push open swinging doors. In store, look around.

Begrudgingly walk over to feminine care aisle.

I bet she doesn't make Duncan do this kind of stuff. That's what I get for being nice, for not caring.

Hold up two boxes of tampons that look the same but says they're different. Squint, trying to tell a difference in colors through this damned ruby tinge.

Bow my head when an overweight middle aged woman squeezes between me and the shelves, taking up the entire aisle. She looks at me weird and at the tampons. My ears turn hot and red.

I try to stare at nothing else but the words "Jumbo" "Regular" "Higher absorbency" and "Guard against leaks!".

Feel someone else staring at me.

Look up, so they'll stop creeping on me. I get it, I'm a guy holding tampons, show's over.

Some girl with long light silvery blonde hair just keeps looking at me, even when I look back vaguely.

I sigh and look back down at the boxes.

Then I look up again, shaking my head, and feeling kind of stupid. "Uh, excuse me, miss? Do you think you could help me?"

She looks surprised, even though she was the one who kept staring at me.

I go over to her and she looks around as if she isn't sure whether she should bolt or not.

"Can you tell me what the difference is?"

She peers at the boxes and says, "One is bigger and longer lasting, and the one in your right hand is slimmer and for lighter menstruation."

The corner of her lips curls briefly.

I nod appreciatively, "Thank you, sorry for the bother."

I figure, Jean doesn't need anything "jumbo" or bigger.. Oh gosh, I mentally slap myself for that thought.

The girl narrows her eyes, and bemusedly asks, "Girlfriend?"

I realize she means am I shopping for a girlfriend. I feel my cheeks unnecessarily turn pink and I say, "No, just for a friend."

Girlfriend, yeah right. Like I could get a girlfriend, let alone Jean my best friend, for the life of me.

The girl arches an eyebrow at me and I wonder if she can tell too, what a loser I am, shopping for a girl who has permanently put me in the friend zone.

I quickly dodge behind the next shelf to end the encounter.

Time suddenly feels slowed down, it's definitely not just me, there's a second when the grocery store music plays on the speakers like it's been slowed down, the standard, cheerful electronic jingle eerily plays at a slow pace throughout the store and then.

BOOM.

The ceiling comes crashing down, raining plaster. Can't hear a thing, but feel the rumbling of the impact.

I instinctively throw my arms over my head and run, as the shelf I am standing next to begins to tip over, starting from the end. Some falling, flaming projectiles whiz by me, trailing flames on my shirt. It is actually quite terrifying.

I race down the aisle before the shelves all come toppling down.

I am clutching onto the box of Tampax Pearls for dear life, and see a flash of white in another aisle.

I dive into that aisle and roll over just as a box of Maxi pads come raining down onto the ground.

Sound erupts in my ears again and I wince. The fire alarm has gone off and the sprinklers in the ceiling were activated. An aisle on the other side of the building has caught fire and I can hear shrieking. The air is acrid with burnt product and plastic.

The lights all flicker and its dark for a minute, and then the power slowly regenerates and comes back on.

There are hushed whispers and cries, screams from the shoppers around the store.

A hesitant voice goes into the intercom, "Excuse us, there seems to have been some sort of...accident or something, everybody please remain calm and stay where you are until the paramedics and fire department gets here."

Strange...Whatever that was...these kinds of freak accidents in Bayville can only mean one thing.

I glance at the floor, and the white that had caught my eye is from the girl from earlier who is sprawled out on the floor, and I notice she's dressed in all white. White pants, white jacket.

There are fallen boxes of feminine care all around her.

Oh shit oh shit oh shit.

I quickly get down and check for her pulse. I put my hand under her platinum hair checking for a beat behind her ears, on her temples. Her hair is like the texture and shimmer of moth wings, which is strangely beautiful on her head as weird as that sounds. Her long dark lashes are closed over her eyes which were just a moment ago staring at me haughtily.

The over weight woman who had passed me earlier is sitting against a wall a few feet away from us, sobbing and fist deep in a party bag of chips that had fallen over from the snack aisle that she had not paid for. A cart is on its side, the contents of groceries spilled out onto the shiny floor.

She seems to be in a state of shock and I try to grimly give her a reassuring grin while feeling for this girl's pulse.

I feel a faint beat, and it looks like the girl got hit on her head.

Where are the paramedics?

I hold the girl's head up against my arm, sitting her a little more upright and cradling her body.

A nasty voice comes over the intercom, "Scott Summers is the biggest geek in Bayville! HEHEHEHEHEHE!" Lance Alvers in his ridiculous costume has grappled the microphone from the sales associate at the register, and slanders me in the local market.

He has his bowl on his head that he calls a "helmet".

I growl under my breath, "All this just to annoy me?!"

Todd, who was stuck to a wall, leaps up through the crumbling hole in the ceiling, and is quickly followed by Alvers right before sirens come.

"I take it you must be who he's talking about."

I nearly drop the body in my arms, as it's talking now.

Oh great, this girl woke up just in time to hear that I am the biggest geek.

Typical day in the life of Cyclops.

I look down, "Er. Yeah...How do you feel?"

She grimaces, "Numb all over actually. I don't think I can move without it feeling all tingly."

I assure her, "Don't worry, the paramedics just got here, you'll be fine soon. I think you probably have a concussion or some head injury but nothing too bad."

She smirks slyly but requests, "Don't leave me until it's over."

I get that she's probably scared, since she should be, but she doesn't exactly sound scared and her smirk was not helpless.

I feel bad though, that damsel in distress reflex in me is being pulled. Just a little while more then, and I can go home and away from this strange person.

When the medics come and check her over, everything turns out fine.

I offer to give her a ride home, but she shakes her head, saying she has a ride, which is great by me.

A short trip to the market turned into a very long one...

It's dinner time by the time I pull up to the mansion, and my stomach drops a little when I see they've started eating without me.

All that in a day really makes a guy hungry.

I look for an empty seat, and see that the two by Jean are occupied by Amara and Jamie.

Damn it.

I catch her eye and she looks up, but then frowns at the sight of me.

I hold up her box of tampons, which I purchased after the whole mess was dealt with.

Amara notices what Jean is looking at and then drops her jaw at the sight of me.

"What? Ha ha okay, I get it, it's funny to see a guy holding tampons. Get over it you two." I announce tiredly.

Jean asks, "Scott, what the hell did you go through to get those tampons?! What happened to you?"

I look down, for the first time, noticing that much of my favorite shirt has been scorched off, and some holes were burned into my jeans. There is ash and soot all over me and smearing my skin and face a little.

I look like a mad chimney sweeper.

I toss her the box grumpily, "You wouldn't believe what it took to get these things."

Amara piped up, "Does it have to do with what was on the news about that freak accident?"

Jean looks like she's about to cry and then gets up, rushing over to my side. She fawns over me. This is something I could get used to.

"Scotty! Are you okay? Oh my poor baby, I'm so sorry I made you go buy me tampons! It's all my fault you got hurt. What if you died?"

I waited for the part where she confesses that she couldn't live without me, but it doesn't come. Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?  
I whisper in her ear, "Shush, Jean! It was just the Brotherhood."

The whole table has stopped eating and is looking at us. Ray laughs, "Oh, you buy her tampons, Cyke?!"

Everyone starts chattering at once. Kitty giggles loudly about my appearance, "I've never seen Scott like this! Like he's always so clean and well-dressed."

My ears turn hot and I kind of want to take off my sunglasses and see nothing but red. But then there is Jean's worried looking face in front of me.

She marches me to the first aid kit she keeps stored in the medical cabinet, and wipes some of the sore scorched spots and red cuts on me with disinfectant and bandages them.

* * *

I'm sore and extremely tired for school the next morning.

The light burns didn't hurt at all yesterday, but today they hate me.

Wince as Kitty slaps a hand down on my shoulder, right where a bandage is covering a gash from a flaming projectile yesterday. She can't see it of course because of my sleeve, so I grit my teeth and wish her a good morning.

Tune out of History class. I'm already ahead in the class. Think about Jean and how she thanked me for buying her tampons with a hug. Then remember she made me buy tampons. The memory is ruined. I look a little reproachfully at her as she sits next to me, studiously writing down notes.

Bored. Tap pencil on desk. Tap tap tap.

Name all the Roman empires in head chronologically backwards...

...Claudius, Caligula, Tiberius, Augustus... Oh god. This is why everyone thinks I'm a geek.

Jean smiles at me from underneath her red hair, she caught that thought.

She takes a break from notes and confides to me, "We had a new student in our homeroom today. She was totally snobby, you can tell she's one of _those girls. _She's apparently kind of famous or something, well more like notorious, Taryn said her name's often in celebrity news blogs. But she had a bandage around her head, I'm thinking she's a lobotomy victim because she sure acts like it." I nod, not really knowing what she means by those girls. I don't share Jean's excitement, I'm just wondering what a 'famous' person is doing at Bayville High.

"There she is!" I look at the front of the class where the teacher is telling someone new where to sit.

Indeed, a girl with platinum blonde hair and strips of white gauze wrapped around her forehead comes my way and sits in front of me.

Her ice blue eyes meet mine and she smiles curtly, "Scott Summers, I never thought I'd see you again!"

Jean bursts, "You know each other?"

The girl laughs but she doesn't sound like she thinks anything is that particularly funny, "This boy found me under some rubble yesterday at the grocery store catastrophe and stayed with me until help came. That's as much as I know about him though."

The other kids sitting around us looked at me with awe and admiration.

Jean did not look so pleased though.

The rest of the school catches wind of how I rescued the 'bangin' hot new chick (Ray's words not mine) in the tampon aisle. I'm somewhat of a local hero today. I've never been marveled over like this by the student body, this attention is kind of strange.

I am not popular at all usually but today I'm too popular. After 4th period, I duck outside behind the school and head to my car, sitting in the seat and leaning my head back. I had to get away from everyone, and all the people who kept wanting to hear about what happened.

Jean says I have the patience of a Birmingham guard. But inside I can't stand annoying people. It's just all about keeping it inside though, and not showing it. That's the nice thing to do. How else do you think I can stand hanging around Duncan and Jean.

A streak of white flits at the corner of my red vision.

I see the new girl wearing all white again, except showing considerably more skin than the other day, walking intently towards me.

I sit up when she gets in my car without saying a word.

"Um.." I can't think of anything to say really.

She exasperatedly looks to me with relief, "Thank goodness, someone with sense. You're taking a break from this...public school day too?"

I quirk a brow, "Yeah. I just needed to take a quick breather. All this hero crap is kind of unfamiliar to me." I worriedly add, "I don't ditch class a lot though! In fact, I never do. It's just a one time thing."

From her face, I can tell she is not the kind of girl to care about being in class or not.

She stretches her arms up, wiggling her fingers around in the open air, since I don't have the convertible hood up.

"It's enough to be new, but having this gauze around my head is like a big sign that says, 'LOOK AT ME'. The bandaging is definitely a fashion faux-pas."

I offer a, "I'm sorry..." I don't think to say that maybe they look at her anyway because she's kind of pretty to begin with.

She smiles at me.

Truth is, I have no idea why she's in my car talking to me. Then I chuckle, "In a boring place like Bayville, everything's a big deal."

She pulls a silver flask out of her white leather bag and takes a big gulp before handing it to me, and tells me, "Go."

I fumble with the flask when she thrusts it in my hands and then without thinking, put it to my lips and take a sip.

It tastes like gin... I frown and hand it back to her. "I can't drink and drive. Where do you want me to go? I wasn't really planning on driving away or anything..." I glance at my car's clock. It's 1:03 in the afternoon.

She leans over very close to me and purrs into my ear, "Stop thinking about everything and just _do _for once in your life."

Her whisper is chilling. Just do?

I don't even think about it as I turn the car on and pull out of the parking lot.

I'm on the open road and then I try to think about where to take the new girl who doesn't seem easily impressed by anything in Bayville.

I ask, "Are you hungry?"

She has kicked off her sandals and has her bare feet propped up on my dashboard.

"I could eat something. Where do kids around here usually go?"

"Sally's Diner. Everyone goes there, and it's 50's themed and the waitresses wear roller skates... I don't like it, it's kind of tacky and the food's mediocre at best, but Jean likes to go there a lot. Maybe girls just like that kind of thing better."

"I'm not like a lot of girls. 50's themed? Really? As if this town couldn't get any kitschy-er. Tell me, is there a drive-in movie around here too?"

I nod, not willing to say that there actually is a drive-in movie place that serves cokes and burgers.

"Jean-that ginger you were sitting next to today? Are you two shagging or something?"

I nearly let go of the steering wheel.

"What? No way! Jean and I, we'd never...no, she has a boyfriend. We're just good friends. That's an interesting term, shagging."

The girl rolls her eyes a little with a smirk, "But do you want to?"

I swallow, "I haven't even thought about...her...in that way."

The girl curls her fingernails out before her and inspects them. "Tell me, how long have you two been friends?"

I say, "About 4 years."

"So you're saying in those 4 years that you've been friends, you've never thought about it?"

I stubbornly agree, "Yup. I'm not like most guys."

The blonde agrees, looking at my profile as I drive, "Indeed, you're not."

I remember something, "What's your name again? I never heard it."

"Emma, last name Frost. Don't try to Google me, you'd be the last person to know exactly who I am. You don't keep up with current events much, do you?"

I furrow my brow, "Except for the occasional CNN news bit about what's going on overseas and anything actually important other than what heiress got a DUI and slept with who, you got that right."

Emma throws her head back in the wind and laughs out loud. Her frosty exterior has broken for a second and she is cracking up like a mad woman. I bewilderingly glance at her. I seriously wonder if she's okay, maybe the impact to her head affected her.

She looks at my concerned face and then bursts into peals of laughter again.

Hiccuping, she breathes out, "You've really never heard of me, have you?"

I shake my head, "Should I have?"

Emma snickers, "No, I like that you haven't."

What an eccentric girl.

I take her back to the mansion, knowing no one will be there now.

I let her pick stuff out and then cook for her in the Professor's tiled kitchen, simmering a salmon on a pan like Ororo taught me to with the right seasoning that I personally like.

Emma sat luxuriously on a chair as she watched my back. She kind of had a way of languishing and looking comfortable wherever she settled. Like the queen of Egypt or something, Cleopatra.

She asks in an amused tone, "Where did you learn to cook like that? Not a lot of 17 year old boys know how to make gourmet food."

I scowl, the new girl has only been here like a day, and she already knows I'm the town's usual geek and the kind of domesticated guy who cooks and buys tampons.

"I grew up without parents, and kind of had to teach myself how to feed myself."

She sits quietly for a second and murmurs, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

I shrug and grin at her, "It's okay, it happened when I was a kid. I wouldn't expect you to know, I just met you."

I whip out two plates for us and serve the salmon with some asparagus and country potatoes. I hesitantly mutter, "In this house, we kind of have to eat a lot of vegetables."

Emma forks an asparagus into her mouth with wide clear blue eyes and says simply, "I love asparagus. This is better than eating that cafeteria sludge Bayville High serves. That's not even worthy of a food stamp. I almost had the urge to throw up just looking at it."

I have to laugh heartily at that one.

Sliding two glasses onto the table, I pour a pitcher of Ororo's iced lemonade from the fridge.

I garnish the lemonades off with a mint leaf and grin politely, "Ororo makes the best lemonade, not too sour and not too sweet."

She clears her plate and stares at me expectantly, "What's next?"

I down my lemonade and choke, "Huh?"

"What are we going to do next? I am not returning to the school today, and you're a much better tour guide to Bayville than that silly bubbly brunette freshman who overdosed in pink that the principal left me with."

"Kitty?"

Emma shrugs, "Something as obnoxious as that name. Maybe you should take me to that drive-in, heaven knows I'll never see one of those outside of a little town like Bayville. Perhaps we can 'neck' and do some 'heavy petting' in your red convertible. Please, I feel like I'm in a poorly costumed version of Happy Days already."

I laugh, "You've seen that show?"

Emma asks back with arched eyebrows, "And you have?"

Surprisingly, I willingly drive Emma down to the drive-in theater. I don't go here as often as the other kids at school, mainly because it seems to be like a breeding ground for the athletes and cheerleaders nowadays.

The last time I came I had to take Kitty because she can't drive yet. So it was just me and Kitty in my car, and Kitty sobbing on my sleeve while 'Casablanca' played on the giant screen on the field overlooking Bayville.

I tried to ignore Duncan sitting in the bed of a pick up truck with a group of his team mates and Jean, throwing empty beer cans towards my car and laughing at me "baby sitting" Kitty.

Also, a main reason to come here at night is to be with a girl. The one girl I would like to come here with, is usually already here with Duncan, and other than that I don't have the guts to ask any other girl, let alone look at any other girls at school.

The stars were beginning to twinkle in the darkening sky and I kicked my seat back and showed Emma how to recline hers.

I flattened my palms against the back of my head and looked up, enjoying the cool breeze.

An attendant came by and I paid him for two cokes and cheese fries.

Emma looks uncertainly at the steamy cheese fries.

"Oh come on, don't tell me you've never had cheese fries."

Emma replies contemptuously, "Where I'm from, I've never had fries, period. I've never heard of them with cheese either."

I marvel aloud, "Where on Earth are you from, Emma Frost?"

She quirks a brow, "You really don't know...! I'm from Snow Valley, I went to an all girl's prep academy, then somewhere in Manhattan, New York, before enrolling in Bayville High."

Daringly, I hold up a clump of hot golden fries with melted cheese on the tips, up to Emma's face. "You have to try them at least once in your life. These cheese fries are the best I've ever had."

She surveys the clump for a second, before taking them in her mouth and chewing neatly.

"Not...bad. I don't think I've ever tasted anything like that."

Soon we are sharing a box of cheese fries in between us as the movie starts, and Emma has no problem grabbing for them. It's some Grace Kelly movie.

I take a sip of coke. My throat burns. I gag, "What is wrong with my coke!"

Emma giggles, and rattles her now empty flask around. She taps her paper coke cup against mine and then nips down on the straw, sipping, and looks up at me. "You made me try your fries, and I liked it. Now you try this."

She has a point. I take another drink.

* * *

Someone shouts, "Hey look it's Summers' car!"

Emma and I are giggling over something the blonde lady on the screen said, but I forget what.

There's a knock on my window.

Jean looks into my car.

Duncan and his buddies are piled into a car next to mine.

Her green eyes are so shiny under the stars. I mumble, "Jean! You look amazing tonight."

She smiles, but then sniffs the car and says, "Have you been drinking?"

I shrug, "Maybe...maybe not. But I mean it! You look amazing!"

Emma burrows under my arm and muffles her laughter against my side.

Jean looks kind of mad I think. I can't tell, sometimes Jean just looks like that.

It feels kind of good to have Emma's warm head under my arm. Everything feels kind of good, come to think of it.

Except my sweater is kind of hot.

"Scott, what are you doing?"  
I look down, my hand is pulling up at my sweater.

"It's just, hot." I mumble.

Jean pulls my sweater back down and pulls me out of the car. I call over my shoulder, "I'll be righ' back Emma!"

My feet stumble a little on the ground, but soon I'm up and walking, and I can't really feel anything except good.

I pull my sweater off as soon as Jean has her hands off me. It feels so good. I breathe in and smile real wide, feeling the cold air on my skin.

Jean is staring at me, and she won't stop staring. She touches my waist as she pulls me behind a bush.

Her nice cold hand on my bare skin feels good too. I look down at my chest and gasp, "Jean! I-I forgot to wear an undershirt today!"

I grab at my chest, trying to understand where the undershirt that's supposed to be there is.

I stagger back from her and trip backwards over a log, onto my back.

Thump.

I roll around a little in the nice cool grass and giggle.

Jean is at my side and pushes me flat on my back so I'll stay still.

I wiggle a little, trying to wriggle as hard as I can away from her, but she's kinda strong.

She glares down at me, but then her lip twitches and she laughs a little. "Scott! What are you doing drunk behind the wheel? This is not like you."

I twist out of her grasp and army crawl on my stomach and elbows.

She loops her fingers through my khaki belt loop and tugs me back into place. My pants are pulled down a little, and my briefs stick out.

Jean claps a hand over her mouth and shakes as she giggles harder.

"Maybe that new girl isn't a good influence... I'm supposed to be covering an article in the school paper about her, did Emma tell you where she's from and everything? Actually, based on that I definitely don't think she's the kind of person you'd hang out with. She's a bad influence, Scott. Her reputation is-."

I holler, "Jean! Jean! Shh! Just, SHHH!"

I sit up and cover her mouth with my hand.

I kneel, and my pants are now dragged around my knees.

I urgently tell Jean, "I have to tell you something! Really, very important. I wanted to tell you for a long long long time."

I'm feeling confident, euphoric, I have a burst of courage I've never felt before.

I cup a hand to her ear and whisper, "I use' to like you."

Jean looks into my eyes, her mouth parted. She puts a hand on my chest and maybe she's gonna push me or something, but then she leans in closer.

But then I'm flying. The ground is spinning beneath me when I land on my back again, a few feet away.

A quarter back is charging towards me.

I rise unsteadily to my feet, the ground still spinning. A high school football player? Easy for Cyclops the big bad killing machine.

I move aside but totter a bit on my toes, then turn and sloppily but effectively kick Duncan's knees in, and his legs out from under him.

Jean cries out, "Scott! No! Don't fight him!"

It was a simple move, really, she doesn't have to worry about anything.

Duncan won't get up though. He's just lying on the ground cursing at me and being the big cry baby he is.

I throw my hands up, "Aw c'mon! He's fakin' it!"

Jean stomps past me and angrily calls out, "You are being such a jerk right now, Scott! Leave him alone."

Whatever, man.

I hop back to my car, after telling Jean I wasn't usually the jerk, her dumb boyfriend was.

I forget how that went though.

I climb back into my convertible, getting stuck half way in, with my legs sticking up, my pants at my knees.

Emma is no help, she's just laughing like Jean did.

She suggests, "Just lose the pants, darling!"

I kick off my khakis and fall into my seat.

Emma falls into my lap and rests her head there, as we watch the rest of the movie. She strokes my knee absentmindedly. I never knew how much better things felt without clothes on!

It's all a blur and then it's over.

I start up my car, and cut a line of cars trying to exit the lot.

I'm getting kind of sleepy.

My bed would be nice now.

Emma directs me to a hotel nearby where she is staying, I guess.

I walk her to her room, because that's the polite thing to do for a girl at night time.

I shiver, it's gotten kind of cold. I look at my watch, it's past midnight.

Emma tries to coax me into the room, "Warm up in here before you leave." She's now looking at me like a mother bird about to eat a worm.

Her blue eyes scanning me up and down makes me a little more sober and aware of how silly and naked I am, in my shoes and underwear.

"I would not have guessed that fantastic body would be hiding under that sweater and those khakis." Emma purrs delicately at me.

Muttering a good night, I dash from that room as fast as I can and speed home.

* * *

"Ughhnnnn..."

I shift under my blankets and shiver when something frozen lands on my forehead.

"Shh..." The ice pack is lifted from my face and I see Jean looking down at me with worried green eyes.

It takes a moment to realize where I am and what is happening.

I prop myself up on my elbows and groan, "Please tell me I didn't black out and make a fool of myself."

Jean tries to seem stern, "Scott, I've never seen you like that before. You do know better, right? I know you do. You not only got very drunk, but you also managed to lose all your clothes last night, and worst of all, you drove under the influence! When you came home, I had been waiting for you all night! You passed out in front of my door after banging and demanding that I let you in. I had to drag you in so none of the other students could see and then I had to-I had to bathe you, because you were incapable of doing anything!" Jean blushed and tried to hide a smile.

I gulped, and my heart sank into my stomach.

"Did I puke or something? Why did you have to bathe me?"

She stuttered, "I mean, I guess I didn't have to, you didn't puke at all...You were generally pretty clean, but it's just, you were in my bathroom, and you were already almost naked...I thought a bath might sober you up."

I nearly faint, and maybe it's from my empty stomach. I can't believe Jean Grey saw me naked and I was barely alive to remember it.

That means she...scrubbed and...touched...every bit of me. How embarrassing.

My ears go red hot.

I bury my face in my pillow, "Please kill me now, Jean. I am so. Sorry."

She rubs my bare back comfortingly.

I peek under the sheets to see that she put a new pair of briefs on me.

I blush more.

I grin lopsidedly, "Thanks for being a good friend though...I guess this is what friends are for, huh?"

Jean giggles, "I just always thought it'd be the other way around with us...Yeah this is what friends are for...Speaking of friends...You said something interesting last night about how you used to like me."

Shit.

"Ummm...That's r-r-right. I used to like you! Back in like 9th grade, when we weren't really that good of friends yet. That was a long time ago! I'm never drinking again, I say the stupidest things! I'm sorry if I was a jerk, I kind of remember fighting with Duncan." I'm not one for smooth saves. As dumb as drunk Scott can be, at least he didn't spill the beans about the whole truth, how I'm in love with you, Jean. God knows I don't need that embarrassment to be any worse.

I can't believe I was so close to ruining our friendship after a drink!

Jean changes the subject hastily, "Professor sent me up to get you for an emergency announcement.

I only have the energy to put on a bathrobe, and follow Jean down to Cerebro, my hair tousled and mussed up and each step adding to my head ache.

The Professor, Logan, Hank and Ororo are waiting for us.

Professor Xavier touches a glowing panel on the machine connected to his head and a large lit up image and panels of information are projected in the vast dark and empty space before the platform in front of us.

A new recruitment!

Logan knowingly snorts at me when I rub my forehead.

Jean whispers into my ear, "I'm going to be busy helping Duncan set up for the game, and taking pictures for the paper, do you think you can cover me for recruitment?"

I nod, feebly.

The Professor begins, "I sensed a new mutant around your age a week ago and contacted them, it's not until now that I am sending the team in to recruit. Scott you will lead today."

A large picture flickers on the projection and I rub my eyes under my glasses, not sure what I am seeing.

Emma Frost's face flickers and vacantly stares around the cerebral room.

Her information is listed as:

Hair Color: Brown/Currently: Blonde

Height: 5'10

Weight: 125 LBS

Jean hisses under her breath, "I knew her hair color wasn't natural."

I frown, I know my BMI index and for her height, Emma is rather underweight. She is thin...I'll have a word with her about that, if we're going to recruit, I have to think as a leader, about my team being healthy and fit.

I stutter, "Hey, I kn-know her...sort of. She just moved into town."

Xavier nods, "She has arranged to see where she would be living if she is to join us. We must move quickly before the Brotherhood gets to her though. She is a telepath and a very strong one at that. Also, she has a second mutation of a diamond skin, but Scott if you say you know her, this might be easier for you to approach her."

I could not believe that Emma was a mutant...and a telepath! Just like Jean, I turn to tell her excitedly, but she looks far from happy at this potential new comer.

* * *

Emma is already waiting with all her suitcases packed up, and she playfully winks, "It's so nice to see you again Scott, with clothes on this time! Though, it was nicer when you weren't wearing any."

Logan lifts a brow at me and I try to ignore it.

I grab her aside as we finish putting her trunks into the car.

"Why didn't you tell me you were a mutant too? Did you know who I was all along?"

She cups my chin and winks again, "I just wanted to have a little bit of test fun before I made any final decisions. I was very skeptical about moving to Bayville. Thank you for a pleasant first day."

I just hope she didn't read my thoughts yesterday.

Not that they were any worse than what she saw me doing.

* * *

It was easy to get Emma orientated with the X-Men. She is pretty sharp and also she used her telepathy to absorb all the information, rules, and facts she would need to know to adjust to life here.

At school, I excused myself from homeroom to get water from the drinking fountain. I lifted my head just in time from the running stream to see Emma down the hallway talking to someone. I squinted. What the hell...

She's talking to Lance Alvers. She knows about the Brotherhood and everything. I wonder what she could be talking to him about.

I go back to class before they can see me.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Warning: Raunchy! Maybe? Depending on what your filter limit is.**

**Shejams: I just love reading your reviews! Put a smile on my face all day. Thanks for giving this fic a chance, and I hope you do enjoy it! If not, you can be honest with me, I appreciate your opinions! I'm kind of experimenting with this one. HAHA I laughed at "let Duncan have Jean", so nonchalant. Ya know I am a sucker for that Scott/Kitty dynamic! Scott's always suckered into bringing her around (like when he lets her drive his car when no one else will in that one episode), they're so cute, she's so young and small and peppy and he's so tall and serious and stiff. **

**Guest: Hi, thanks for the great feeeeedback! I'm so happy the first chapter was a hit with you! Thanks for motivating me. Here's the continued update.**

* * *

You know summer vacation is drawing near when the girls start to get those tan lines and pink or depending on their skin sensitivity, tan shoulders.

Or you know, when they start showing their shoulders! In New York, shoulders are covered for much of the seasons.

Even Jean has been more spacey in class, I can tell she's just itching to get outside and have fun.

Even a "straight-lace" like me can't resist summertime. My mutation makes me more attuned with the sun, since they rely on solar energy. I've always been a lover of the warmth.

It's kind of cool, when the season starts, or the sun is stronger, it feels like my cells just flare up, and everything is brighter and I can see even more than my usual superhuman vision does on a normal day.

My blasts are 5 times stronger, and I just feel greater.

My body absorbs radiation and sunlight faster and in larger capacities than the human body is capable of.

It's kind of a weird little trick, but I got used to it as I grew up, and learned that UV rays are my friend.

The sunshine feels nice, I sigh and put my head up, looking up happily at the bright orb in the sky, as I sit on my high wooden white life guarding chair.

A voice that sounds and feels like cool water, comes from below, "When you said work, I suspected something much more stifling, and in doors, with a tight neck tie and behind a desk.

Our newest member shades her eyes as she tilts her head towards me.

I call down, "Don't listen to what the others say about me! I'm not some vampire whose allergic to the sun and fun. The Professor just suggested that I take up some volunteer jobs like this, to keep myself busy for the coming summer."

Daringly, the girl looks up and dares, "Then come down here and join me, if you're so fun."

I blow my whistle, "I'm an on duty-life guard! That would be irresponsible and dangerous for me to..." I can already tell how stiff I sound. I scowl and climb down, as Emma victoriously watches me.

She pats my chest when I am standing on the ground, and nods approvingly, "Much better."

We walk down the lake's beach side, where the community comes to swim and hang out in the warmer months and where I life guard.

When the Professor suggested that I take such a laid back and outdoor job, I was a bit reluctant. It was not the place for me, there were people everywhere, and even though nothing exciting ever happened, I was constantly forced to talk to girls and women of all ages who came by my stand frequently, or liked to pretend to drown...a lot.

It's kind of cute to nicely turn down an elementary school girl or flirtatious pre-teen, but the mothers around here are kind of scary.

Why the heck did the Professor make me take this job?

I can see some kids from the high school jumping off the dock and doing flips into the green blue water.

Sam is among them, and canon balls into the water, to the whoops of everyone around.

Jean is tanning with some other girls, laid out on the dock.

"Why aren't you out there with them sunbathing? Jean could show you a good time, you might have a better time with those girls than me."

Emma sneers a little, as if less than thrilled by the prospect, "I can tan just fine with you. Can you imagine how boring it is to just lie out without doing anything, just so your skin will turn colors with those Bloomingdale's catalog girls? What do those people even talk about? I can tell you myself, having seen their thoughts; Boys, bikini lines, lip gloss, grades, each other, and getting married."

Yes, I've often wondered what Jean found in the company of some of her school friends, but unknowable to me, these were supposed to be the cool, fun, and in kids. Maybe I just didn't know fun.

I don't mean to sound defensive, "That is pretty boring stuff. Getting married, really? Jean's not that bad though, she's pretty interesting when you get to know her."

Her lips curl a little condescendingly at me and she drawls, "She's only interesting to you because you're interested in her in other ways that I can't even see. Sexually, that proactive little ginger doesn't do anything for me."

We are at a more remote part of the beach now. Emma talks a little differently, and says alarming things, but I actually think she can be kind of funny. I go on the defense again, for Jean's sake, "Well, what about bikini lines and stuff? I'm sure you worry about those things too, it's just girl stuff."

"I was wondering when you would notice my bathing suit. I don't have to say anything for a guy to notice right away. You're a strange boy, Scott."

Huh? I look down from her face, "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you want me to say something about it? I didn't really look at what you were wearing." I feel like burying myself in the sand, the one girl whose cool and nice to me at school, and I can't go a minute without saying something or showing her how much of a freak I am, and how aloof I can be.

She's wearing a white bikini top that is mostly just strings tied together, and a similar, extremely teeny bottom. I try to recover from my blunder, "It's, um, nice! Your swim suit is pretty."

Then she does the unexpected, and furls off her top.

My sunglasses almost pop off.

"Emma!" I shout out in alarm and turn my face away from her, but walk closer to her, with my arms extended, and looking around, trying to cover her from view.

"I don't worry about bikini lines like the other girls, because I believe in the European style of sunbathing."

She stretches out and then dives into the water and expectantly waits for me to join.

I gulp and wade down next to her, careful not to even touch her or look at her.

But then she comes up next to me and pulls my white tank top over my head, with the red lifeguard cross on it.

I splutter and turn away from her, shutting my eyes. I say a little more aggravatingly this time, "Emma! Can you please put your top back on? As the regulator of rules here, I have to restore the order!"

She guiltily sinks into the water, arms crossed over herself and giggles, "I lost my top in the water...I can't swim without using my arms! You'll have to get it.."

I just know she's testing me. But I can't ask her to uncover herself and swim after her own top.

I squint and quickly zoom in on a tiny white thing floating off deeper in the lake.

Stretching my body out in the water, I stroke out deeper glad that my ruby goggles obscure my eyes and allows me to open them underwater.

I smack my hands down into the water and scoop the tiny thing up, and swim back over to where Emma is standing up to her shoulders.

I drop it in front of her and look away while she ties it on and offer her my now soaking tank top, "It hardly even matters if you put the top back on though, you should cover up with my wife beater."

Emma takes the white tank top from my hands and slips it on, and gives me that victorious smile that makes my belly crawl.

Since it's white and very open, and wet, it's pretty much clinging to her like a second skin, and since its so large and the sleeve and neck holes are gaping and don't cover much to begin with, it just hangs on her uselessly.

How did she do that? I gape, "How do you make my plain old shirt look like that?"

She flutters her wet lashes, "Look like what?"  
"Like that... It's just a plain shirt, and on me it's not sexy at all, it's just for work..but it looks different on you."

She pats my cheek, "I see we're starting to see the difference between males and females here, scout. Don't doubt your sexiness in this shirt though, even if you can't see it, others use the mental image of you in a life guard outfit for various fantasies."

She flips head first into the water and kicks some water up in my face, then resurfaces, swimming away like a scaly eel. She beckons for me over her shoulder.

I swim after her, following her to the buoy off shore.

We're two floating heads in the water now, and she observes, "Thinking about my body makes you kind of uncomfortable. You're not like boys your age."

I submerge my head briefly underwater, dousing the fire. Then I pop back up and run my hands over my dripping face. "I'm glad you brought that up, that reminds me that I have some concerns about your BMI..."

Emma stops floating serenely on her back and looks seriously into my eyes. "I noticed that you're at 125...and you're 5 points below the minimum BMI for your height. So you're a bit on the thin side, maybe too low. I don't want you to be too undernourished or feeling unfit for strenuous activity. I'd recommend eating a bit more, I personally take in lots of protein from steaks and shakes and maybe stack up on carbohydrates when I want to gain weight."

A sprinkling of water bursts onto my face. Emma has spit some lake water out at me when she laughed out loud.

I dip my head back under and shake the droplets from my hair.

She puts her hand on my shoulder to support herself, and has stopped treading water, latching onto me with her limbs.

As her legs brush against mine underwater I think of unknown creatures underwater when they brush up against unsuspecting swimmers' legs.

I continue my light treading, not seeing many options for escaping when we're out in the open lake.

The tip of her nose balances on top of mine. Beads of lake water run down her face and onto mine. "You don't have to worry so much about me...I have a ton of stamina when it comes to strenuous activity. Should I demonstrate for you, leader, leader?"

Her legs tighten around my waist underwater and I thank god the water is cold. Her wet skin grazes mine and the sensation causes chills to run down my spine.

"I can't say I'm not touched by your concern though...I don't usually hear guys telling me to gain weight...if anything, to lose." She parts her wet lips and touches mine with hers lightly skimming, and my brain sort of shuts down.

I instinctively plunge straight down into the water, sinking below the surface. Right when we go under, I hear her startled, muffled scream that travels from above the water to underneath, and against my mouth. White bubbles spin up and she is still wrapped around me, her hand holding my head and mushing me against herself.

I struggle to breathe, but her lips are glued to mine, and I can't really do anything except thrash about, and put my hands on her waist, trying to dislodge her.

Finally I stop fighting and we kind of float suspended under water for a second, and I close my eyes and try to imagine that I am an objective life guard performing mouth to mouth CPR on a training dummy, and I push air from my lungs so she can breathe.

In the silence of the water pushing into my ears, a clear dry voice enters my head reproachfully, 'A dummy? How could you even compare this body to a dummy.'

My head is light and spinning and blank, I can't even think.

Running out of oxygen, I quickly lunge up to the surface, breaking through with a splash.

I pant, and Emma's lips are still parted and touching my lips, even though she has broken the seal, her face is still leaning on mine.

She pants to catch her breath and I'm officially stunned.

Maybe I was stung by a jellyfish, but I can't move or anything.

My hands are still holding her hips up, as her body is locked against mine, arms and legs still wound around me.

Rivulets of water stream down us, washing over.

In the short time she's come here, Emma Frost has managed to cross a lot of my boundaries and barriers. I can't even think to know if I like it.

I barely even have time to react.

Her wet blonde hair is slicked down her back, sparkling in the sunlight.

We float buoyantly in the water, and then a long low chant disrupts the peace, "WOOOOHOOOO! SUMM-MMERS! SUMM-MMERS! SUMM-MMERS!" Ray and Bobby stand a short distance away on the dock, beginning a slow clap.

The other kids catch on and chant in unison.

A raft drifts by and Duncan stares at me googly-eyed. Of course, he has a large keg balanced on his raft, in typical douche bag effort to keep the party goin'.

I freeze up and tense, when Jean who is sitting on the edge of the raft with her legs in the water, gives me the most hurt, horrific, accusatory, and shocked look of all. I drop my hands from Emma's waist, but she is still latched onto me. Jean's eyes travel to my life guard tank top on Emma.

She is wearing a green bikini, my favorite one on her because it made her eyes look greener.

I stammer, "We were just discussing Emma's BMI!"

Duncan, the ever thick headed scholar, looks disgusted and shouts, "Oh, aw sick, man! Didn't need to know she has BMI!" I don't think he knows what a BMI is, he probably didn't pay attention in his sports medicine courses when they attempt to train baboon brained jocks about their sports and fitness.

I honestly wonder how Jean, an honor student and aspiring medical student, can keep up with this quick witted tool. Not.

Jean just hangs her mouth open for a second, and then with a whip of her red hair, she jumps over the raft and swims away to the shore as fast as she can. Duncan mumbles, "Huhh...Dunno, what's her prob. It's your prob now Summers!"

I groan and smack my head and put my hands on Emma's waist again, pulling her off me.

When I pull myself up the shore, out of the water, dripping from my red trunks, guys I've never talked to before try to give me high fives, Kitty and some of her freshmen friends interrogate me, but I brush past them, heading for Jean who has taken off into the clearing.

I follow a wet trail of footprints on the sandy path to a redheaded girl bent over on the sand, gulping and panting.

I cautiously place a hand on her shoulder and she jerks away. Her face is pink and flustered from her exertion in swimming away and running.

Sitting down across from her, I draw my knees up and she says bitingly, "That looked more like a hands on BMI inspection, than a discussion."

I don't know what to say. I let her continue, "I don't like you hanging around the new girl, I don't like what she's doing to you. I don't trust her. She's changed you...you're not like my Scott anymore, the one I know."

An irrational anger surges up inside me, "She's not changing me, she's not doing anything to me! I'm in control of what I do. And I'm not your Scott. I'm just Scott, your best friend, but I'm still me. I'm sorry I upset you Jean, but honest, Emma and I are just friends, I think she's just a little different in her ways of showing it to everyone...but I'm not into her like that..."

Jean wryly mutters, "It looked kind of impossible for you to not be into her like that."

I nervously sweep my wet hair back and offer an explanation, "She's just...prone to show up in compromising positions, but I'm not trying to do anything I swear! It just looks bad...but it's all...innocent."

Sighing, Jean puts a hand in my hair, "Why can't I ever stay mad at you? Why can't you actually give me reasons to so I don't just come off as a psycho, hostile bitch?"

I grin, "You don't seem like that at all, I know you're just looking out for me, and I appreciate it, but I can look after myself, don't worry about Emma, she's cool, you should get to know her."

I can tell Jean doesn't even want me to mention the sensitive topic of Emma, so I shut my mouth.

She draws me in for a hug and I grin into her shoulder, and her lush red hair, feeling eased by the fact that Jean doesn't hate me.

Maybe she'll never dump Duncan and fall for me, but for now I can just enjoy her hugs, as her best friend.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: SHOUT OUTS TO MY LOVELY RE**VIEWERS!

**Phoenix Fire: Pointing at u pal, thanks mucho for loving this! I LOVE YOU! I am sooo thrilled that u said i made scott/emma appealing even to a non scott/emma fan! (they get a lotta hate ya kno, not a popular couple) that like means everything to me. i wanted to read more of scott/emma stories from other writers but there's not as much out there as you'd think, so in frustration i kinda have to write my own if theres no new ones out there! And what bad spelling? don't see any, it's alright. i am sorry for MY bad spelling haha i rush thru these sometimes when i'm excited to just get my ideas out at the moment so i have lots of spelling mistakes. thank u for petting my ego.. my ego thanks u too. u just made my day!**

**TheWatcher019: Gracias Watcher! I'm on the same boat as you, I like Scitty but not as much as Emma/Scott and more than Jott. I'm glad there are people with similar preferences! These ships seem to not be as popular. Wish there was more Scitty fics out there too!**

**SCORE! I'm always a little hesitant about writing the physical stuff because i'm not exactly sure how its supposed to sound to be 'sexy', so thank u thank u for giving me the uber compliment of describing it as sexy! That goes beyond how i thought it'd be taken. **

**Soul Mamma: I really really reallyyreally like your review. HAHA, thank u for pointing out that scott is a cool geek! that's what i think of him, and i don't think he deserves all the bashing he gets for being the geek he is, he's cool about it because he doesn't really care or try to be some macho misogynist (in the comics/most of the time) because he knows he is a man and doesn't need to prove it, and that makes him so irresistible. Duncan's dumb. I kind of am liking jean again, and it's kinda fun to make her more jealous and show her vulnerability more, and she's a smart and nice girl in EVO, just caught up in her popularity. Pheonix metaphor, eh eh? Thanks for encouraging me too, to write more on this story.  
**

* * *

Right hook, left jab, jab, jab.

Side kick.

Round kick and left hook combo.

Boom. Finally, my fist feels the satisfying, crushing smack of getting a full on hit on my opponent's face.

A surge of endorphin's and male pride courses to my head.

I pretend I am in a Mortal Kombat video game and declare robotically, "CYCLOPS WINS! -FATALITY!"

I jump over Warren's body, and jump up and down, my fists above my head, wrapped in white wrap.

Taking my boxing headgear, I wave it around and then with a final high leap in the air, slam it down on the ring's floor where Angel is sprawled out, my soaked bangs flying up. The headgear against the cushioned floor makes a nice slapping sound and bounces.

I'm a prize fighter in my head, I roar triumphantly, beating my chest with my fists.

Spitting my mouth guard out I reached down, pulling Warren up, with a chuckle.

Nothing can stop the unstoppable Cyclops today!

A slow clap. Clap..Clap...Clap...

Warren is getting to his feet when I drop his hand and he falls back on his wings.

He curses something unrepeatable and winces, almost hawking out in a bird-like sound.

I had not noticed that during Warren and I's practice boxing, a small crowd had gathered around our ring.

Heading the small group, clapping and looking at me dead on with a gleeful spark in her eyes, is Emma.

My stomach twists into itself. I put my hand on my abs, maybe they're just feeling sore today.

Kitty and Kurt sitting at the end of a bench, cheer and Kurt tries to convince Jamie to go in the ring.

Keeping my head bent, I clear my throat and climb down from the ring and power walk to the shower rooms.

Ray and Bobby taunt Warren, cackling as their older peer struggled to get up, complaining about a broken nail.

I spy Jean and Amara watching and simultaneously gabbing away at each other. I die. They saw. Everything. EVERYTHING. From my fancy, egotistical, immature game over display.

I'm worse than Bobby or Jamie now, whose childish antics always make them the class clowns.

Yet somehow the one that I'm most mortified about is the new girl, she surveyed everything with a mysterious vagueness.

Warren's nail is actually broken in a painful and more severe way than implied. About half of it fell off, so he has to go around with a bloody finger stub for a while. He claims he can't go to fencing anymore because he's afraid of it happening again, and wants to avoid any hand or sword sport that could cause the excruciating pain he suffered.

At least that is what he tells me in the locker room as we stand in our spandex boxing shorts and I wrap his finger up with a band aid.

"Hold still, Worthington."

"Ouch! It hurts, now I get why women complain about broken fingernails so much. This hurts like a bitch!" I wrap medical tape around his smashed index finger, and bite the tape to cut it off from the roll.

Warren holds up his tightly bandaged finger and grins, "Thanks Scotty. Good match today. I'll have to beat you next time."

Warren's a little more of a heavy weight than me, he has a certain broadness to his face and body, being older, but with my lighter weight class, I am more agile on my feet, and my punches are faster, but more accurate and solid. Warren's best move though, is his two armed punch, in which he clasps both his fists together and bashes whatever poor bastard is getting it.

The rest of the day, I retreat to my escape where nobody can find me or bother me. The unused, unpopular library.

The Professor has great taste in books, unfortunately they're hardly read by the students.

I plop down on the carpeted floor and take out my favorite game, Battle ship, and some spiky, slimy aloe vera leaves I snipped from Ororo's garden.

I place a couple strips on my sun burnt shoulders, and paste some on my back, then got on my stomach and unfold my box set. I close my mind and focus, doing what Jean taught me to do by thinking on a thought and projecting it to her. Deliberately projected thoughts will get picked up by her.

I try to entice her to a game of Battleship. No voices in my head. I wait, maybe these things take a minute to travel.

After a few minutes, though, it worked and she comes in. I try not to turn so the leaves won't fall off my back, "I knew you couldn't back down from a Battleship challenge! Jean, check out my back, I'm a turtle."

When we were a lot younger, as kids, before the braces came off and Jean got a jock boyfriend, and we were the only ones in the school, we used to play Battleship daily. We would catch each other staring at one another over the dividing wall of the game, but then look away quickly,mumbling, "J10."

Now since she has grown up a little more, Jean does not play with me as much. But I miss playing with her, those were some fun times. I would rather play Battleship or Dungeons and Dragons than go out to parties. Jean thinks I need to grow out of my games. Huh. Maybe this is why I don't have as many friends.

"Everyday, you hardly cease to amuse and surprise me."

Uh when did Jean sound like Jessica Rabbit.

"Jessica Rabbit...Really?"  
I irritably wave my hand at her, "Jean, stay out of my head unless I'm projecting, I thought we agreed on that."

A pair of white booted feet come into my vision on the floor.

I wrench my head up.

My stomach twists into itself again, why did Emma Frost have to conveniently appear every time I acted like an idiot?

I sit up fast, and the aloe vera slides off my back and shoulders, I cringe.

"You've been avoiding me?"

I pushed my glasses up my nose and mumble, "Not...really. I just didn't want to run into you, you always end up seeing me in mortifying positions. Like this."

Emma squinted at me, "You know, just to loosen your mind a little, you don't look at all as bad as you seem to think in your head. If you put yourself in my shoes now and saw yourself, you would be pleased with how you appear. Also, Jean told you not to trust me didn't she?"

I sheepishly shrugged, "Look, I don't want to get into any of this, I don't care what bad secret she thinks you're keeping, I don't need to know and I don't care, I have other things to worry about than judging others."'

Emma's voice went a little lower and she pouted. "I'm not bad, I'm just drawn this way. Darling, I hardly have any secrets I'm keeping, if you paid attention, you would already know them, the whole nation does."

I put a hand over my heart, she nailed that. She knows who Jessica Rabbit is. Emma knows who Jessica Rabbit is.

She smirks, like she heard me. Dammit.

She rolls her eyes a little and mutters, "Utterly oblivious. Word of advice, in a house with more than one telepath, learn how to project a little more selectively."

"Er, you got my projection? I just learned how to do it, so I'm still figuring out this mind stuff. Well, I'm not really projecting so much as making my thoughts more available to Jean."

Emma snickers, "Well you are horrible at it, she's not even here, she went out with Duncan and Taryn for a quaint kegger. So if she does get it, it would be faint and possibly not get to her for a while. She invited me, but I have no clothes I want to throw away after some common high school girls throw up on me. Those two hardly seem like they would be be able to hold their liquor, let alone cheap, stale keg beer. And, Scott? Stop telling Jean to be nice to me and inviting me to these awful things with her, it really depresses me to think that there are girls living like this in America."

I gape, but then close my mouth and start to collect my game and my leaves, "Sorry to have disturbed you Emma, I'm just going to go to my room now."

Emma sat down across from me and asked, "If this is an invitation to play, I accept."

I gape, "You know how to play Battle Ship?"

"Strategic mind games, battle plan analogies, I played this as often as I played chess."

Forgetting my embarrassment, I put my things down, "You play chess too? I happen to be the best chess player here besides the Professor, and Hank, but I beat Hank a few times."

Emma smiles, "I believe you have just challenged me to a chess game in the near future."

I shrug, "Deal."

I toss my leaves out in a nearby bin and prop myself back on my stomach.

Emma sets up her battle ship and suggests, "Should I take my blouse off too? Is this a topless game of Battle Ship?"

My ears burn, they might burn off. "NO! Emma, please don't take your top off, please don't. Not again. I'll go put a shirt on right away, I just thought Jean was coming and she would've thought that was funny...But it's stupid. How can I play with you though if you can read my mind?"

Emma arched a brow, "It is funny. You are funny, Scott Summers. And, don't you play with Jean- a telepath? Or is it simply because you trust her not to read your mind, and play by the rules? And you don't trust me. Why would I care enough to cheat on this game? That would take all the fun out of it, wouldn't it?"

Why does this girl make my brain hurt every time she says something coy.

Well I did not want to be rude, so I set up the game.

We get on our stomachs on the floor, across from each other, with the plastic wall between us.

A fierce game ensues.

"Ummm...A5." I push down a new piece onto my grid.

"Miss."

"B 6"

"Hit. Cruiser."

We both plug red pieces into the appropriate holes on the grid.

"F 4"

"Miss." I place a white peg into F4.

"C2."  
"Miss."

"E3."

"Hit. Submarine, sunk."

I plug in a fifth red peg and Emma victoriously looks over at me from the top of the plastic wall.

Hanging my head, I congratulate her.

There's a clatter of plastic as I spill all the pegs into the box and shut it.

"Okay, so I found my match at Battle Ship, that was pretty intense! You'd be a great field leader."

Emma throws her hair back and laughs, slapping my hip bone lightly.

"Oh would I Scott? Maybe you should consider making me your second in command."

There's a flirtatious undertone, but I can tell by her eyes that she is serious.

I scratch my head, "That stuff isn't up to me, but you never know what will happen as you go here."

"Really? I think you're starting to prove me right."

Emma slowly comes towards me, I step back.

She steps forward, her smirk growing each time.

I step back, she steps forward, I step back and then, she steps forward, and bam, my back hits the library shelf.

A book above my head falls off and boinks off my head, but I hardly notice.

It flutters to the floor, the cover, "Madam Bovary."

She's close enough to touch me.

"Well, good game! I'm gonna go put a shirt on."

I use my side step to sprint out from between her and the shelf.

Shutting the door behind me, I lean back against it, panting, eyes shut.

Then I open them.

A rear in white capris is sticking up towards me from across the room at my bedroom dresser.

A pint sized Shadowcat is busilyy bent over, rummaging through my bottom drawer, humming, with her long bangs hanging over her face.

She gasps and turns around, giggling uncomfortably, "Scott! It's you...Um. Like, isn't this like, my room?" She exaggeratedly looks around with wide eyes in wonder, like she's lost or something.

She is clutching a pair of my best silk boxers in her hands. They were a gift from Storm, it's not like I buy silk under things for myself, I'm too simple as a guy.

Those things are damn comfortable though!

She has powdered sugar all over her little pert nose, and her fingers look extremely sticky for some reason, like literally sticky. When I thought this girl couldn't get any weirder...

She has a small apron on over her pink cardigan and white capris, and it has doughy hand prints all over it.

Seriously, what is my room? A communal spot for people to clean their hands on my clean underwear?!"

I lunge towards her, bellowing, and throwing my hands together to close on her, she screams and squeals all the way through me as she runs for the door, phasing through me on my way to her.

I can hear her scream still continuing without a break all the way down the hall.

I shut my door, but not before I had to take some articles out, that were covered in sticky finger prints.

DO I EVEN WANNA KNOW WHY, WHAT OR WHAAAT.

Craaaaap, she was still holding my silk boxers when she ran out.

"KITTTYYY!"

I chase after her, but she is untraceable.

Fuming, I go downstairs to take it out on a punching bag, just as Jean walks in the door.

She is levitating a knocked out cold Taryn. I quickly forget why I'm angry and run down, grabbing hold of Taryn, so Jean can let go.

Jean's mind unclenches and she sighs in relief, looking at me gratefully.

I troop upstairs to Jean's room with Taryn in my arms, Jean behind me.

Setting Taryn down on the bed, I grin, "Fun night huh?"  
She takes off her jacket and throws her keys on a stand, then collapses against my side, burying her face in my chest, muffling a long and tired groan.

"Duncan got too drunk and then Taryn so I was stuck being designated driver. How was your night?"

I moodily pouted, "Well, I had big plans to invite you to play battle ship with me, but then you weren't around to catch my thought, so I just had to play with Emma, whose actually not as bad as you'd think at sinking ships."

Jean's face suddenly began to scare me. She looked possessed with fury.

Then, she whispered, "Scott, thank you for helping me. I'm going to turn in now."

I nod, not pushing it, and leave, puzzled.

I stay outside the door for a second, and hear her immediately dialing on her phone, then in hushed tones, "Hey, just got home. Kate did what?! I didn't see that, I must have left before. Yeah. Uh huh, yeah. Oh my gosh yes! Yes, no, uh huh, yeah, yeah, yes, yes."

It goes on like that for a while, but then she gasped, "So I come home tonight, and Scott's like downstairs, so he was so sweet and helped me lug Taryn to bed, but then he told me he played Battle Ship with that NEW GIRL! Battle Ship, you know the game. I know...He's just so adorable about his board games though. Yeah...For Scott, playing Battle Ship is like third base! I don't even know why she would play with him, unless she's like desperate for attention or something! I knowwww!"

I smack my forehead, this is what Jean thought of me. I'm some nerd with no game.

* * *

I can't help staring at Jean in class, even though she's giving me spiteful glares.

She is so beautiful. How could a girl's face make me feel so warm and fuzzy?  
I thought I wasn't the shallow type.

But seriously, her almond shaped green eyes, her cute nose, her friendly lips, everything about her made me feel like a lunatic.

I know she hates me right now, and that hurts, but it hurts more how pretty she looks today.

If I weren't controlling myself, I would lean over and kiss her right there. But I'm me, and I'm not the guy she wants, I'm her nerdy best friend.

I snap out of it, as the teacher tells us to take out our books.

A cold piercing blue eye flashes over Emma's shoulder, as she smirks at me, sitting in front of me. It is so hard to keep thoughts in check with multiple psychics around.

I text Kitty under the desk, "WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MY SHORTS?! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

I send, but then feel immediately guilty, thinking of Kitty's shiny-eyed, crying face.

So then I send, "Sry, but really, what were u doing in my room? Don't even wanna know what u were thinking or doing do i. Too appalled. c: " I add a smiley at the end so she won't cry.

3 instantaneous texts buzzed in, "OMG NO!" I don't really know how to reply to that one.

"SCOTT LIKE no!" Okay...

"IT WAS A BET! TABBY MADE ME! KIND OF. tehe :p Shorts r fine, will return soon. soooorrrrryyyyy! :-* "

I kind of wonder if it's possible to have a sane and sensible conversation with a freshman girl.

Dinner time. Ordered pizza!

I sit down to a slice of cheese, and Kitty pulls out a sweater from under the table and shouts, "Scott, is this like, your sweater?" Then she pulls out pants, "Like, aren't these yours too? I found them the other night at the drive in movie! They were just behind a bush."

I wipe my mouth and lunge across the table, grabbing them and stuffing them from view.

Rogue even looks disturbed.

Kitty continues to just keep talking! "Like, who loses their clothes at the drive in? Anyway Scott, here are your shorts. I got so curious in the middle of baking, and thanks to you and your secretive butt, I left the batter in the oven too long and the whole thing burned. After we found your clothes, Tabby wanted to see your underwear, because that means that's the only thing you kept on, and she made a bet that you just own tighty whiteys. AND ONLY THOSE. I had to find out and like totally prove her wrong, because like you'd totally be Ken as in Ken and Barbie if you ONLY wore tighty whiteys all the time, like Ken can't even help it, they're built onto him, and like even if I tried to pick off the tighty whiteys, it's just plastic and there's nothing underneath, he's just all tighty whitey down there! Like, it's just wrong. I think that's why my pre-kinder teacher confiscated my Ken dolls at daycare, or she didn't like that I like, kept breaking his pelvis to see what was under. ONLY TO BE DISAPPOINTED BY NOTHING!"

She slams her fists passionately down on the table, cheeks red and a little angry, her flyaway bangs fly up for a second.

I catch my silk shorts and hide my head under them, and Tabby croons, "OOOOH! WHO WOULDA THUNK SCOOTER WEARS SILK BOXERS! BOOYAH!"

Each day the list grows longer.

Cyclops, the team geek, a sucker for buying tampons, the guy who can't keep his clothes on, the 10 year old boy who plays Mortal Kombat and Battle Ship, a floating device for I suspect mentally unstable girls, and now, the guy who is all tighty whitey down there with no reproductive organs and who owns silk shorts.

* * *

**AN: ****sorry i just can't resist writing shirtless scott any time anywhere literally ANYTIME even when it's uncalled for.**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:**

**FivePhoenix: Thanks for your nice feedback. I'm glad there were no grammatical errors! Thanks for looking out for em and for reviewing! So glad you read it! :D**

**Guest: So psyched you love it! THANKS!**

**PhoenixFire: I'm loving that you loved it! Aww thank you so much! IT is so nice to hear you think i capture her! that makes me so excited. I'm glad I can make her likeable! she's such an unlikeable character sometimes! Heh Kitty is adorable, how can Scott be mad at her? And thanks i'm glad you liked my ken and barbie reference! And I was so flattered that you had such nice things to say about my Scott/Emma fics! Thank you thank you I hope you have a wonderful day!**

**TheWatcher019: Thanks for your good and honest feedback! I love Scott/Kitty interactions, theyre just so funny to see together at the same time for some reason. Honestly, I'm starting to like Jean again too! Maybe because she's been dead for a while. I don't know but I'm feeling for Jott again!But I also love Scott with Emma so it's a challenge! Yes, Emma is always so dangerous, and unpredictable, she's kind of nuts. LOL. ****Thanks for keepin it real as always.**

**SheJams: i have a big fat smile on my face from reading your review! I appreciate you takin the time to read and write such nice reviews! Thank youuu :D**** I'm with you on the jott fan preferring scott/emma. I love Tabby with the X-Men too! She's such a funny bad girl, hehe and of course she's corrupting Kitty, now that I look back I don't think I"ve really seen Kitty and Tabby interactions, i don't know how u knew but i hadn't even thought about it when i put tabby, there was no reasoning behind it. but i guess they're hardly together since they're opposites, tabby is the revealing clothes wearing loud goofy girl and Kitty is the pruder valley girl who likes pink and gossiping.**

**As for addressing Ororo's concerns about the what, when and why, I'm referring to the first chapter when Scott gets drunk and loses his clothes. lol, you gave me an interesting idea for maybe having your lady Storm question that again. I was gonna just brush it off and not have it mentioned again, as the adults probably picked up that Emma's just kind of really weird and says absurd and strange things a lot. but maybe realistically, what she said about naked Scott would raise questions. Thank you for pointing out the little details I miss! the little details are what counts. I'm not adding that in this chapter, but i will think of a reasonable way to bring it up again in the next!**

* * *

Mid Terms season...what a joy in a high school student's life.

I have not gotten much or any sleep in the past few days. DR training, and if not dodging laser beams and knives, studying studying studying through the night and day.

I pop a can of Mountain Dew open and take an exhausted, slow and long chug.

It's neon green and acidic in my mouth, burning away as the sugar dissolves.

The words on my text book page float around, doubling in vision.

Blink.

I find myself drifting off to sleep in and out as I droop over my desk in the mansion's library, where Kitty, Jean, and Kurt are also studying for their exams.

Jean and I are playing in the sand together at the lake, she's wearing her green bikini, and I'm making her laugh. We're riding along a scenic view in my dream car, we're sharing a drink on a gondola, we're-

_X-Men, Assemble._

The Professor's bald head floats in my head, clearing the dreams that were flitting in and out. I open my eyes before they can fully shut and gasp, snapping my neck straight, having been just inches from hitting my forehead against my textbook pages.

Jean is reading from her book, and looks up at me with a cranky and confused expression.

I look around and stretch sheepishly.

Kitty and Kurt are giggling over something, horsing around as they quiz each other.

Oh great, I look at my watch, 12 hours until my exam and I had barely stayed away to finish studying. The entire study time, I had spent a good hour talking to Kitty about computer math, which is probably the only thing we have in common. She does chatter your ear off, but I was equally guilty in being drawn into a stimulating conversation with her on something nobody ever talked with me about. Then another portion of it was spent helping Jean studying and staring at her instead of at the boring notes I took.

I stand up heaving a sigh and tiredly mumble, "That's it... You heard the man."

Kurt grumbles but eagerly abandons his studies and hops out of the library, Kitty running after him.

Jean gets up, a little pissed off and walks away from her studies, leading the way.

Some of us a little more hyper than others who are just as tired, gather together, downstairs.

I slowly suit up, shaking my head around to be more alert for whatever mission we are being sent on.

Amara whines that she has to study and Rahne chimes in.

I try my best to steadily navigate the jet and then press the button to lower the ramp.

Yawn, stretch.

Slowly unfold body and get up.

Yawn again, turn head to the side to stretch. Catch sight of Emma in her own custom uniform.

Pause, mutter tiredly under my breath, dead beat and border line lethargic, "What the fuck are you wearing?"

She holds my eye for a beat and then answers, "My uniform, do you like it?"

I grunt and stretch again, then shut my eyes and rub them, before mumbling, "No, it doesn't look that economical, it looks hindering."

She looks down with an arched brow at her white leather halter top and white knee-high boots and tight white leggings.

The other guys are ogling her, amazed I'm betting, on the quantity of skin she is showing.

The girls just kind of look baffled.

Ray shouts, "I like it, Emma!"

Bobby agrees.

She retorts, "I'd say not using as much material to cover my skin uselessly is economical."

Emma's gaze does not leave my eyes as she stares at me, waiting.

Exasperatedly, I sigh, "Well, we're already here, it's on you if you trip or anything. What kind of force would ever make you dress up in that kind of stuff for missions? It's just not plausible that anyone would ever think that kind of outfit would be a wise choice, it's almost sadistic to make yourself wear that for combat. I want you to be comfortable and ready."

Jean snorts in agreement. She gets really cranky during stressful, sleep-lacking exam times.

Really cranky.

Emma says without breaking her stare, "You'll find me to be a very sadistic sort of girl, as we get to know each other, Scott."

She exits down the ramp, her boot heels tapping.

My combat boots clank after hers.

Worrying about the test tomorrow.

We're at the bank, having been called in by the Professor, who sensed a break in.

By mutants.

I wearily hold a hand up to my visor, stepping through the gaping hole in the bank's window. Shattered glass lays twinkling on the ground. I see the work of Blob, and his large blubbery fist. The Brotherhood don't make for very graceful entrances.

They're not very quiet either, I can hear their cackles echoing from a vault in the back.

I step towards them, when two things happen at once.

Emma suddenly warns, "Cyclops, watch out!"

At the same time, a large heavy mass strikes me down, coming from nowhere, without warning.

A frenzy of sharp claws on me, shredding away with powerful strokes, a heavy beast balanced on top of me.

I raise my arms and use all my might to push him off, jumping to my feet and holding my fists up.

The mass darts back into the shadows and I run to the side, then aim in a split second and zap the crouching figure, causing him to blow back, crashing through a solid wall and land on the other side in a crumpled heap.

I dart towards it, and hear a low growl, Sabertooth.

I snarl, baring my teeth and plunge my fist at him, knocking him back down as he staggers up.

The ground begins to shake, catching all of us off balance.

Avalanche emerges with Pietro speeding and zipping in and out behind him, throwing bags of money into a van.

Toad crawls on the wall and extends his long tongue out, hitting Rahne, who immediately transforms and thrashes about, roaring.

Rogue shudders, then bravely takes off her glove and runs forward, closing her eyes and grimacing when she grabs Todd's tongue.

He tries to retract it, but she holds on tightly and he screams through his tongue in pain and panic, before his eyeballs roll back and he drops off the wall.

Rogue dusts off her hands and glares down at him, sticking an extending tongue out.

Jamie multiplies and runs in all different directions as Pietro zooms around, trying to push him down.

Four Jamies run towards where they think Quicksilver is going to run and tackle him, slightly knocking him off his speedy course.

Five more Jamies jump on Quicksilver, taking him down in a doggy pile, multiplying more and more to weigh him down.

Emma puts her hand out and focuses, taking Lance out.

Amara and Ray send electricity and lava hot fire towards Blob who sweeps them off their feet, against the ceiling with his huge hand.

Blob also steps on Rahne, who crumples to the floor, unconscious and returning to her girl form.

Kurt teleports on top of Sabertooth who throws him off, punching him on the head and knocking him out cold.

I look around frantically, this was all going very wrong very fast somehow.

Jean lifts a fallen pillar from the ground with her TK and swings it at Pietro, who has managed to fight off the Jamies. Pietro is hit and goes flying across the bank, but he quickly gets up and zooms so fast he is not visible.

Storm summons a lightening bolt to fry Pietro, but misses by a good second.

It is really impressive, when she controls the power of the weather.

I call out, "Storm can you cover my left flank?!"  
She zaps as Pietro comes speeding, sending a lightening bolt to come cracking down on Pietro, electrifying him mid-speed.

Out the corner of my eye, I see Sabertooth pouncing on Jean. My heart stops.

"JEAAN!" I hit my visor without thinking, and blast him off of her.

He rebounds and comes pouncing back but I am already running towards them, tackling him over Jean.

She shouts, as Sabertooth wrestles me down, pummeling and tearing at me with a maddening speed.

Avalanche has reawakened, and causes the ground under me to tremor and collapse into a crater.

Blob is charging, ready to crush Jean in his path, I leap around over the shaking and splintering ground, and send a stream of optic beam against him, feeling the pressure of his large mass pushing back.

Finally I blast him off his feet and charge at him, firing rapid punches, but all of a sudden Avalanche and Sabertooth have jumped on me from both sides, and the ground begins shaking again and the ceiling comes falling down in chunks, raining hazardous cement.

Rogue jumps on Blob, her bare hands clutching his fleshy skin.

I feel faint and so tired all of a sudden, wondering vaguely if that means Rogue will also become fat abruptly. Cement is raining down on our heads. There's a Sabertooth tearing me up as I fight back.

My visor goes black.

* * *

A cool hand is on mine.

I groan and struggle to lift my head.

Ugh, my body.

There is a heart monitor beeping away. My vision blurs but then refocuses. I mumble, "Jean..."

A dry voice, "Not quite."

I groan.

I can almost hear Emma smirking.

Her hand slowly withdraws and I see her face looking over mine.

For the first time ever, I hear Emma Frost apologize for herself, "I-I'm sorry, I was just sitting here for a while and, I got worried when your brain wasn't waking up, and I just-got caught up and held your hand for a little."

I smile, a little loopy and mutter, "S'okay."

I swallow and wince as I sit upright, grabbing at my chest.

I am not wearing a shirt, and bandages have been wrapped around my chest, from my shoulder to my side.

Five deep claw gashes have bled through, I can almost feel how deep they are, how exposed my muscle is, it hurts to breathe.

I hear a small crack and groan again, cringing and growl out between breaths, "Broken rib?"

Emma nods, actually looking...remorseful. An expression I thought was impossible for her face to execute.

I ask quietly, "Is Jean okay? Is the whole team okay?"

Emma's lip twitches and she nods, "Everyone's okay. Jean was down here for a while, but she had to go take her exams."

I coughed, my entire body aching with each cough, "I missed my exams?"

I groan miserably.

I have never been out this long.

Emma chides me, cupping my chin, "Not to worry, I took care of things, you can take them as soon as you are ready."

I swallowed, "What did you do?"

She shrugged, "Well obviously your condition excuses you from anything. I had a word with the teacher, moved some things around in her mind so she would not ask or be suspicious enough to want to find out more about why you are injured."

"Emma...You know one of the Professor's rules is to not use our powers outside of the missions and the institute, and to not use them to manipulate nonmutants or to cheat."

She winks at me, "This will be our dirty little secret."

I'm too tired and sore to argue.

I look to the side, Kurt and Rahne are sleeping in the beds down the row. They fought so bravely...I should have protected them better, should have expected a surprise ambush.

Emma tenderly runs her fingers lightly over my bandaging on my bare chest and whispers, "The cuts were so deep, so close to your heart...If he had only been a centimeter deeper..."

I gulp and smile exhaustedly, "It doesn't hurt as bad as it sounds. I have a high tolerance to pain."

She meets my eyes and I see a sparkle in them, and she smiles sincerely at me, before resting her hand on my unbandaged abdomen.

I rest my head back, and fall into a deep sleep, my eyes weary.

Still half asleep, it is dark in the hospital wing now, my eyes are half open.

I hear Emma pacing the hallway just outside the door, on the phone, talking quietly and fast.

I hear snippets that come out warbled in my dream state.

"...promised you wouldn't hurt him.

...got the most...almost fatal...could have kill...never do anything...that again...or you shall pay...dearly...doesn't matter to you why not him...Imbecile..."

She hung up and walked back to me, I closed my eyes fully and drifted back off to a heavy slumber, my head spinning with dull pain.

* * *

I woke up 2 days later, to Jean sitting next to me, Emma nowhere to be seen.

Kitty and Amara were on the other side of me, talking in low voices and looking sympathetically at me.

I feel stiff as a board, but I sit up and grin.

Kitty throws her arms around me, and Amara and Jean follow, burying me in their hugs.

Kitty blubbers against my collarbone, "Oh Scott I thought we lost you for good this time! Never like die on us again! Like, I could barely concentrate on my tests and like I totally thought you were a goner and like I'm never talking to Lancey ever ever again! I baked you a pie for you to wake up to."

She pulled a black pie out from under the bed. It was solid black. I grinned and let her shove a forkful in my mouth.

I swallowed, albeit it hurt to take anything down, and smiled, eyes watering, "Mm. It's g-good Kitty, thanks a lot."

Jean leaned her forehead against a finger and looked at me, thinking to me, '_Liar'._

I rounded my eyes at her in mocking but remembered she couldn't see that, so I just feebly grinned to the side.

The girls had been busy while I was sleeping for quite some time.

Someone's homework was balanced on my stomach, and some nail polishes, and a tabloid was perched on my chest.

I squinted, seeing a familiar face

Snatching the magazine I would never be caught dead buying, I stared at the gossip page it had been turned to.

Unmistakably, Emma Frost's picture leered back, she was exiting a limo, leg halfway out, a limo full of other girls dressed in luxury fashion clothes that were just as revealing as hers.

She was all dressed up and looked like a celebrity.

I read the title.

So. She is a celebrity...

She has always been a celebrity of some sorts.

There was a buff man holding his arm out for her to grab onto, he had weird sideburns and a black ponytail and a super fancy, garish suit on.

A caption read, "Scandalous and notorious socialite and young mogul Emma Frost arriving at Hellfire Hotel with entourage. Looking fierce Ms. Frost! For a high class stripper."

There was more, rumors of how the wealthy WASP badgirl was an exotic dancer, and that the guy in the stupid suit was her pimp.

Most of it was snark, but it was...eye opening for a guy who never bothers with tabloids.

I felt a sinking pit in my stomach.

Couldn't believe it.

Did I want to?

No, didn't want to know... But it's out there for the world to see...

She's well-known...for bad things.

Stripper...She's infamous and I'm like Patrick Star living under a rock and I'm the only kid who has no idea who she really is.

There's something about finding out something about a girl you wouldn't have guessed or fathomed of her, like her being surrounded by experienced shady guys all the time and dancing for money.

Not that I didn't think she was well...forward and probably experienced...but finding out to what extent, and seeing the actual possibilities and evidence of it changed how I saw her.

I'm not sure I liked it, I know to hold my judgement, but I'm saying as someone I was kind of beginning to not mind being around, it was just..a lot to think about. Or not think about.

Maybe I shouldn't.

If anything I should not trust anything I don't hear from her. Yet...

She is one of those heiresses I mocked about not caring to read about in the news, scandalizing who slept with who and whatnot, the first time she and I talked.

It all comes together.

Kitty grabbed the magazine and squealed, "Like, Scott, that's mine!"

I was too stunned to say a word.

Jean looked over, "Oh, that article about Emma? Isn't it crazy how much she's done and she's basically our age? She is such a..."

Amara finished, "Skank. Whore. Slut. Hoe. Coke addict. Alcoholic. Nympho. Freak. Bitch. Snob."

Jean corrected, "Hoe is a variation of whore, 'Mara."

Kitty said darkly, "I like don't trust her one bit."

Amara looked at me coyly and chided playfully, "Scott doesn't seem to mind her bad bits."

Jean reluctantly asked, "Yeah, Scott, what do you think of our newest addition? You two seem awfully chummy."

I couldn't stop thinking about the information I just read.

But I brushed it aside and answered, "Jean, I told you, I don't know her well enough to say anything. She seems nice, just kind of assertive, but that's good for some things. Honestly though, I don't like her like how you girls think. She...she kind of scares me to be honest, I would never be into her. I'm not her type and she's not mine, so stop with your...gossip mills."

Kitty clutched her hand over her mouth as she laughed and looked at Jean, who looked at me with an unreadable expression.

* * *

Emma came down for me that afternoon, and pulled me up from my bed, now that I could walk without it hurting too much.

She took me out to the gardens where she had set up an elaborate chess set.

Looking slyly over at me from across her white pieces on the board, she said, "Now here's that game you promised me."

I smiled eagerly, "Where'd you learn to play so much?"

She said nonchalantly, "This club-this place I worked at, the boss made us girls play chess sometimes, whoever won got to live. I became the best at chess. I always play white, I never lose when I play the white pieces. I am the white queen of chess."

I laughed at her certainty and said, "Well, then I'm the black king of chess, I'm pretty good at this, Emma, I'm warning you. By get to live do you mean like get more tip or get more vacation days? That's kind of a stupid game your boss played, what kind of misogynistic creep make you play chess for more free days."

She was silent for a while, but then tipped her pawn forward, commencing the game, and said, "I believe you must be quite good because you don't normally boast."

The game went on and it was like a clicking of two tactical and strategic minds, we were generals of our chess pieces, battling each other.

She was good, I had to give that to her, and telepath or not there was skill and logic gifting her.

I move my rook, our pieces were an even number, we both had an equal amount of each other's pieces scattered on the sidelines.

I'm in my zone, the zone I get in when I play a good round of chess, getting completely absorbed in it, unaware of anything else but the board.

How to get to her white queen...


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:**

**TheWatcher019: Thanks for another grand review! Really glad you loved it.**

**PhoenixFire: THank you so much! Yay you liked the battle scene! I was afraid of that, because I gloss over the details of action, not getting to into it so I thought it might be a bit vague or boring, but thanks so much for your feedback! I'm so complimented :D**

* * *

I am helping Ororo in the kitchen cook a big meal for Jamie's birthday party. Jean is also helping Kitty bake a cake, or more like preventing Kitty from charring the whole thing.

She smiles at me as she reaches over my arm to open the cupboard.

Wow. She is hot.

I accidentally drop my spoon in the pot I was stirring.

She glances up at me sympathetically, biting her lip a little.

Crap, she heard me.

But really...she is so pretty.

I look away and retrieve the spoon, cringing when my fingers dip into the hot food. HOT!

I stammer, "H-Hey Jean...Are you sticking around for the birthday party or are you going bowling tonight with Duncan?"

Jean hesitates and looks to my face.

"I'm staying, I'd like to see what a birthday party at this place is like. How old is that little boy turning? 10?"

We both look over to Emma standing behind us, drinking a bottle of water from the fridge and dressed in just a white sports bra and white spandex booty shorts and her running shoes. She is covered in a sheen of light sweat, her pale hair up in a sporty ponytail and some white ear phones dangling from her ears.

Closing my mouth, I answer, "Uh...no...he's turning 13."

Jean's green eyes slide over Emma and then back to me and she smiles cheerfully, "Yeah, I'm staying! Like how could I ever miss JAMIE'S birthday? It's so special today."

Huh? Jean has never shown concern for the youngest X-Man.

To not seem like too much of a loser for staying home and helping out I try to make it sound like I have no choice on the matter which I don't, "Well I have to be here, Logan wants me to lifeguard over the party, you know how kids' parents are, you can't have a pool party without a certified lifeguard."

Jean does something really weird and puts a hand on my neck, cocking her head and gushes appreciatively, "Scott, always so sweet and helpful! Now that's a real man."

I blush furiously, the heat radiating from Jean's hand.

I want to melt right there.

"Jean, maybe you should help Kathryn pour sugar rather than transparently flirt with Scott when you have a boyfriend..."

Jean blinks at Emma, thinking for a second, "Kathryn...? Oh-Kitty!"

Jean watches helplessly as a cascade of sugar falls into a large mountain in the batter Kitty was mixing.

Running to the rescue, Jean snatches the bag from Kitty and begins damage control.

Emma strides over and hops up to sit on the kitchen counter, facing me.

She drawls out languorously, "It was a very thrilling and close match yesterday. Touche, Scott. I've met a worthy opponent."

I continue checking the heat on the stove and blush, "You were really tough to beat. Try playing with Hank sometime, he's the one who taught me to play well anyway, you'd definitely be worth his time."

She looked shocked beyond words, yesterday when I eventually took down her last piece, the white queen, we both had the same amount of pieces on the board, narrowing down to 1, throughout the whole game.

Apparently she had never been beaten, ever. When I knocked over her white queen, she genuinely looked like she had not expected any chance of losing.

I wondered what sort of privileged background she came from.

"I noticed you let me lead team Blue yesterday during drills." Reaching over to rest her arms on my shoulder, she stared into my eyes.

I shook some salt into my pot and grinned easily, "I didn't notice, it just made the most sense at the time, you were doing a really great job leading the team, leading seems natural to you. Have you done this before?" I joked goofily, but she hesitated before saying, "Well it meant a lot to me that you trusted me to put me in that position, I...respect you...a lot Scott, and when you reciprocate any of that respect...I know it is more valuable than anyone else's."

She's leaned in close, her words rolling off her tongue into my ear.

Respect me? She seemed like a hard person to earn the respect of, why me of all people, I'm so awkward and clueless most of the times she's seen me.

I didn't like that Emma was so flirty by nature, I was beginning to like her as a friend and respect her as a girl, but her being so flirty with probably every guy she spoke to reminded me unpleasantly about her reputation in the tabloids.

For a moment, Emma widened her eyes and drew back, looking at me differently, and I feared she heard what I thought.

But then her breathing grows uneven and she looked down at my neck, I wasn't sure what she expected me to do or say, hopefully she doesn't notice my Adam's apple sinking.

Luckily Jean came back, "What are we talking about?!" She smiled cheerfully, enthusiastic as she came between Emma and I. How can anyone hate Jean? She's so cheerful and kind all the time. And her smile...oh boy.

Emma shoots me a dirty look, her mouth frowning. I answer Jean's question, "We were just talking about a game of chess we played and how natural Emma was at leading blue team yesterday."

Jean's smile grew wider, as she clenched her teeth, "I see...Excellent team work Emma! Even Bobby and Tabby paid attention on your team...Anyway Scott,I think I pulled a muscle during the capture the flag drill...think you can stop by later before the party?" During drills we play a mutant version of capture the flag in which we learn basic skill sin situations that could be relevant, and try to get a flag through or capture it in the middle of laser beams and explosions and opposing teammates ambushing each other.

She gives me a devious grin and I gulp, shivering up and down beginning at my toes.

Jean thinks I'm really good at giving massages, and so anytime she or any of the other team members have an injury or sore from our rigorous routines, I lend a helping hand in massaging out the kinks. I do have to know sports medicine and physiology as team leader.

Jean and some of the girls tend to ask for my assistance more, maybe the other guys are kind of weird about me touching them.

I can't help but feel like a fool every time I'm suckered into being her personal masseuse, that is so friend-zone it's not even funny.

Emma suggested demurely, "Jean, shouldn't you be helping Kitty bake that little boy's cake?"

Jean laughs in a high tone and gushes, "Oh since I'm more than **just** a telepath, I'm using my TK to help her right now." She waved her hand at Kitty, who was cracking eggs with her tongue sticking out, concentrating in vain. A mixer was being stirred telekinetic-ally in a bowl besides her.

"You girls really want to stay around for a pool party with a bunch of 13 year olds?" I ask astonished, and Emma and Jean both nod. I could understand the other kids staying, but Emma and Jean being the two senior girls and sort of popular, usually meant they wouldn't want to be around.

A loud beeping hacks into the kitchen, and the smell of burning pastries douses our noses.

Kitty's crying, tears streaming down her face and large over-sized pink cooking mittens are on her hand, which she has held up, standing in front of a smoking oven.

Her nose is pink and twitchy and she's blabbing and shouting at me but I can't hear with the fire alarm above us going off.

I quickly wink and shoot a beam at the fire alarm, shutting it off.

Jean goes back to tend to Kitty.

"I should probably go bathe and get out of these clothes for my new Brazilian bikini...See you in a few, Scott. Ciao."

She winks at me briefly before leaving.

I feel tingly.

Ororo passes me a tray and says carefully, "Does she mean anything by that Scott? I have noticed that from the minute she got here, Emma has been saying questionable things to you. You know co-ed relation rules are strict here Scott, as the leader and enforcer..."

My face lights on fire, and my cheeks burn up, I stammer, "Or-roro! Th-thanks for reminding me of my duties, but, no, nothing's going on. I mean, I think Emma is just an overly-friendly kind of girl to everyone, but nothing serious. Nnnothing inappropriate is happening, that sort of conduct is the least of my um priorities."

Kurt bamfs in accidentally on Ororo's head, who swats him off. I yank his tail and he chuckles sheepishly, "Sorry Ms. Munroe!"

Storm just wryly chastises him, clucking her tongue, "Watch where you teleport young man."

She then asks, "What do you think about all the strangeness and frequencies of Brotherhood attacks? They are starting to aim for bigger."

"I'm not so sure...Their attacks have gotten worse, before they were just pranking around, but they seem to be after more, maybe for some sinister goal. Now Sabertooth is accompanying them more and more...they must feel a need for more power or strength, bigger opportunities and crimes. I can't keep up with explaining their mess to the law enforcement much longer."

Kurt hops over to Kitty and teases, "Heard ze fire alarm and knew you'd be behind eet!"

The junior high kids, friends of Jamie from school start to arrive with their towels and swimming suits.

I change into my red swimming trunks and spray on some sunscreen.

The party is in full swing as I sit in my plastic lawn chair and idly watch the kids splashing around and screaming.

Jamie has to be extra careful as I watch closely as he plays the water game "Chicken", so he doesn't multiply when he gets knocked into the water.

I feel my bare torso soaking the sun rays, the skin warming up and browning my skin. I feel like I'm recharging, definitely rejuvenated after my brush with Sabertooth.

Sam has his legs dipped into the water and is sitting on the wall by me, "Scott have you given any thought to who you're naming team captain of blue team for the divide games?"

Ray pops up from the water and puts his arms up on the wall, "Don't give it to Bobby, he told me he doesn't want the extra practice having to put stuff together."

Bobby also popped up and lifted himself out of the water, sitting by me. "Please Scott I have homework to procrastinate, girls to not ask out, and TV to watch. Don't count my wins as team captain last week, that was just a lucky fluke. I had a good team assembly, it wasn't me leading that did anything special."

I knew he wasn't being humble, he was really afraid he would get the title of team captain.

"Alright Bobby, if you really don't want it...It's really not a big deal Bobby, you just get to learn a few extra things, anyone can do it."

Bobby splashed me in the face, "I don't think anyone _wants _it. Except you man."

I shrugged, "I need a new team captain, and don't ask me, guys I don't care or make the choice, ask Logan he's in charge of rosters."

Guthrie disclosed, "He said to ask you, man."

Why.

Amara comes up and pushes Bobby into the pool.

Sam laughs out loud, clutching his stomach and stands up to talk to her.

Rahne walks over next to me, her short sandy pigtails drenched, and hands me a plate of the ice cream cake Storm had ran to the store and bought in last minute preparation since Kitty pretty much turned the birthday cake into a bomb with a ticking egg-timer.

I see Jean's shiny red hair catching the sunlight, she's wearing a heart-skipping new black bathing suit I've never seen her in. There's something about black on her that makes me wish I had more than just swimming shorts on.

Ray nudges me, "Jean's coming...She looks mad hot!"

I shove Ray. Bobby broke in, "Can't argue with that. Even I'm melting! Get it? I'm Iceman?!"

Jean tosses me a bottle of sunblock, "Now would be a great time for that massage, Scottie!"

I swallow. Here? Now?

She puts on a pair of dark sunglasses and lays on her stomach on a reclined lounge chair. I awkwardly wonder if I'm supposed to sit on it, or kneel or...what.

I cross my legs as I sit next to her, and rub the lotion into my palms together, then apply it to her exposed back.

She makes sounds I wish she wouldn't and I close my eyes, really regretting being a good masseuse.

I open my eyes and look at the pool, keeping my watch as the lifeguard, working and massaging my friend at the same time.

Emma Frost's shadow looms over me, as she stares down, vanity and amusement etched on her face.

I knit my brows, cheeks burning again. I'm more embarrassed that she has to see me like this.

Emma asks lazily, "Is this where the lines starts to be next?"

Jean's back tenses up under my hands and I knead it out, I feel her relax again.

Ray lets out a long holler looking at Emma's tiny white bikini. I bellowed, "Ray! Manners!"

Emma stretches out and explains, "I was..thinking about you the other night, and I fell asleep, and I must have fallen asleep at the wrong angle, because my neck is just killing me."

I wince, "Ouch, sleeping on your neck wrong is one of the worst! I have some soothing balm I could give you too."

Emma smiles, crinkling her eyes, "I am most gracious for your never ending generosity and sweetness, Scott."

I chop down on Jean's shoulders, "Yup.."

It kind of makes me uncomfortable how much she thanks me like the littlest things I do are the most noble things. She seems like she hasn't been around good guys a lot and isn't used to my kind of courtesy.

That makes me feel kind of bad.

Jamie ran over to me, dripping everywhere, he was leading a girl his age going through a punky stage with a childish but edgy blonde hairstyle. She had a snub nose and a braid in her ponytail. Jamie gestured at her, "Scott! My friend, Layla scraped her knee on the pool edge, could you get her a bandaid?"  
I stood up,retrieving the first aid kit I kept by my chair.

I kneeled in front of the girl and wiped a sanitary wipe over her bleeding knee and then some ointment. Blowing, I taped a band aid over it.

"Thanks dude" She squeaked to me flashing her hot pink and black braces, before diving back into the pool. "No jumping or diving!" I yelled, blowing my whistle.

I went back to my chair where Emma and Jean were standing by talking at now,

"Don't you get worried about that Rogue girl?"

"Rogue? She's...a bit skampy and down-country if you know what I mean...What would I have to worry about her for? Actually why am I even talking to you about this I don't need to worry because he and I are just fri-."

Emma sneers at me, "Hello, Scott."

I smile, not really caring or wanting to get into their girl-talk.

Jean stalks off, simmering, and walks around the edge of the pool.

"Oh you're just dying right now aren't you, holding back telling me to cover up."

I twitch a brow at Emma, "Yes, and please stay out of my thoughts."

Laughing haughtily, she exclaimed, "I can't stay away! Your thoughts are peculiar for a male who has seen me in this bathing suit. Why don't you tell me off? I know you want to."

I sigh, "I know you wouldn't listen, and I can't do anything about it, you're one of the senior students. Do you really dress this way to aggravate me? It's working."

Emma looked down at me with lowered lids and smiled, "Good!"

I heard Jean's familiar shout and immediately looked over the other side of the pool where Jean and some middle school girl were in a tussle. The girl was holding onto Jean's wrist as Jean struggled, on her way to the edge of the diving board.

I stood up cautiously, wondering what was going on.

Emma touched my wrist, I looked down to see her also looking curiously over.

A splash hits the pool surface and water flies up, all around.

I look down, Jean is at the bottom of the stirred pool and has not surfaced.

I wondered if she fell in and got hurt somehow.

Diving in, I circle my arms around her limp body and bring her up to the surface.

I drag her out and lie her down on a towel Jamie and Layla have spread out on the floor.

Putting my mouth to hers, I perform CPR, like I was trained to do.

I give her several short, hard pumps, and after the fifth, I feel a slight pressure from her lips, kneading mine when they came back down to exhale.

My eyes stay closed and it feels nice, and it would feel nicer to just get into it, as her hand crawls up my neck, but then I think of the children and tear away from her.

I gasp, "Jean!"

She sits up slowly and looks at me sultrily. Uh oh.

Drops of water drip down from my hair and face, I look around into the pool, "Where's that other girl?"

Jean blinks, doe-eyed green eyes and her black bikini setting off her shining wet copper hair, "What other girl? Just you and me, Cyke."

I protested, "Wasn't there a girl pulling you into the pool?"

Jean pointed, "Her? She's right there."

The same girl, a girl with brown pigtails stood on the opposite end of the pool, dry and far from us. Curious.

Turning my chin back towards her, Jean teases, "Now where were we?"

I jump back from her, "Jean! You have a boyfriend!"

She laughs, exposing the underside of her throat, "I'm tired of being the goody goody girl you know, and you're tired of being the good goody boy."

I ask curiously, "I am?"

Running up next to me, Emma states, "Oh yes, you are. Except, that's not Jean."

Putting two fingers to her forehead, Emma extended her other hand out towards Jean, who twisted, a blue skin eating away at her flesh.

I backed away, horrified.

Mystique jumped up to her feet and ran over the hedges, disappearing from view. Emma sprinted after her calling out, "I'll take care of her! Scott, as the best candidate for second-in-command, I demand you to give me the title now! I need Kitty to obey me and come with me to swiftly take Mystique out, I figure that'd be most effective."

My mouth hangs open and I stutter, "I-I guess..."

Kitty throws off her floaties and runs after Emma, looking at me resentfully.

Rahne comes bounding over, her pigtails bouncing and her nose sticking up, sniffing hard, "Jean's gone! We can't find her!"

I beckon to Jamie, "Jamie take your friends inside to play video games! We have a crisis situation."

Jamie saluted and yelled out to his friends who ran screaming and whooping to the video games.

I point at Sam, "Canonball, secure the premises, make sure we don't have any unwelcome intruders or anyone leaving the grounds. Magma, you go with him for defense power, and Wolfbane, Iceman, Berzerker, Rogue, Nightcrawler, and Boom Boom come with me to see the Brotherhood. I'm going to send the Professor a message and let him know to tell Storm and Wolverine to watch over Jamie's party."

I couldn't get out of the back of my head that leaving Kitty and Emma separated from the group as a new member and a young one, was a risky choice.

But thinking of Jean and in crisis mode meant we had to make haste even if that meant splitting up.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: **

**Phoenix Fire: Haha okay you, your review motivated me to start a new chap, i hadn't been looking at this fic for a bit. Thank you so very much for your awesome reviews! Hahha with emma and jean, i don't think they can be around each other without it not ending up in a catfight. alright, here's what happens next, it's up for your interpretation.**

**MechaBunny: Yay thanks! I'm lucky to have you! Me too, I pity him quite a lot, however he is the X-Men hero, things have to look up for him, they just have to! Or I'd be a very sad cykefan. Thanks for reviewing!**

* * *

Driving the X-Van, with a bunch of wet kids changing into their costumes with great difficulty.

I have my visor on and my sports leggings, but don't have time to put my top on as we rush out, and Rahne's pigtails are still soaked, and she has a neon yellow and pink tankini top on, while the rest of her uniform is flapping off her hips.

Bobby angrily threw his to the floor when it got stuck up his wet calf, and just changed into his ice form, "Oh screw it! I don't need it."

Boom Boom's wet bathing suit made damp patches on her uniform.

We have to find Jean, we have to before any more time passes, there's no telling what could have happened, someone doesn't just disappear like that, especially a telepath.

I shake my drenched hair out and run forward, crashing down the Brotherhood's door.

There's no one around, quickly, we head down a secret hatch door. The lower we go, the colder it gets and it smells like damp stones.

Soft chanting echoes in the basement, and I barely make out a group of hooded figures around a slab of stone. What the-...

They looked like shadows and were in the middle of something.

Rahne tugged my arm, "Look!" She mouthed, eyes wide with horror.

In the middle of the circle, was Jean, unconscious and lying in her black bathing suit, her hands and feet chained to the rock slab.

Torch lights surrounding her made her look eerily beautiful and fast asleep.

My heart leaped and I lead the way, blasting through the people, who disintegrated like shadows.

I looked around, that was not normal.

The Brotherhood came out, unleashing their powers on us.

Berzerker sparked Toad who was leaping through the air at him.

Rogue did her most efficient job by taking Blob down first, effectively and faster than any physical force could have.

We had drilled harder after the last mishap with the Brotherhood.

Nightcrawler shot off against the speeding Pietro.

I shot a non stop beam at Sabertooth, backing him up against the wall until it broke through and he went crushing through it.

Hurrying over to Jean, I stood by her, blasting her chains off and picking her up.

A white figure stepped up to me, Emma, how and when did she get here?

She eyed Jean comatose in my arms and said breathlessly, "I followed Mystique here, it turns out she was disguised as one of the kids at the party and when she was trying to pull Jean away with her, she slipped her to Pietro who had sped in at that moment, and then when you turned around, she morphed into Jean and fell into the pool to cause a distraction."

I looked at her, "When I turned around...? Jean...what'd they do to her?!"

I felt disgusted, realizing what Mystique did now.

My mind spun in math figures and strategic lines, I'm a 17 year old boy who's trained in tactics, strategy, favorite subject's math, and to see in the mind of a century old soldier, AKA Wolverine who gave me some classes on militant organization and control under fire or ambush. There was no stopping to be confused and think a moment, this was a high-cost duty.

Emma looked around at the X-Men fighting half clothed and all drenched, "Looks like the the pool party was brought over here...You X-Men are a funny and incredibly wholesome exemplary little group."

I quirked my eyebrow over my visor, "Emma, you're one of us too, you're a part of the X-Men. We all have our own stories, don't judge the book by its cover."

Her hard features softened and she remarked, "This is the first time I...feel like that, I don't seem to have fit in with you people, but Scott, you're...something else. You don't even understand the value of what you're saying to me, do you?"

I cocked my head, then something hit me like a careening bus. "Where's Kitty?!" I immediately shouted, remembering Shadowcat who I had forgotten momentarily in the confusion.

Emma's eyes rounded, "The girl was behind me a second ago, she phased us in here."

If Emma lost Kitty, I don't know what I'd do.

I shot over Emma's shoulder as Avalanche approached.

He screamed profanity at me as he was flipped back three times.

Lifting my feet, putting Jean down on the slab with Emma, I began running around, "KITTY?! KITTY?!"

She popped through the ceiling and quipped, "Like, here! I was just making sure Mystique was out. Hah, we got here faster than you!"

She fell, solidly above me, and into my arms with a thump. She hugged me, "Miss me?"

I put her down on her feet and hugged her back, relieved to see her for once, "Actually, yes, I'm glad you're okay."

I shouted out, "X-Men! Alright, good wrap up, let's get out of here."

Tabby grumbled, "Finally! That was the stupidest stunt ever, I don't even know what happened! I whupped Gambit and Pyro bad, for stealing my pool time! I think that's the fastest we ever owned them."

I had to agree, there were a lot of holes I wasn't even sure how to fill...

Picking Jean back up, I headed my damp and sun burnt team back.

I'd have to meet with Ororo and Logan later and consult the Brotherhood with them, to get answers, but looking at the kids balling up their damp uniforms around me and jumping back into the pool, I had to put that aside for now and let the fun be had.

Amara and Sam reported back to me and the princess whined, "We were bored here, there was no action! We just saw Mystique get away!"

I sighed, "Well thank you for staying here and securing the premises, you guys did great, you're off the hook now, go swim."

They did not need to be told, as they canon balled into the pool with Jamie's party.

I sat back in my chair and watched, taking account of everyone splashing around and making sure heads came back up to the surface.

It was a hard and tedious job to be the leader, but at the end of the day as long as everyone's okay, it's worth it. Jean came back out, with a towel wrapped around her shoulders and she looked at me gratefully, sitting down on my lap for a second, "I was just briefed by the professor, I'm totally fine, so don't be so worrisome Mr. Summers."

She poked my nose lightly and I jerked away and chuckled, "Are we sure it's the real you?"

Looking offended, she retorted, "It is me, do I look blue and psycho to you?"

I shook my head, looking at her smile. I couldn't help but remember what it felt like to kiss her for a second, but I had to remember it was Mystique, and I was left with a squeamish feeling.

Quickly, I darted my eyes away from her face and cleared my throat, "You should join the others, you deserve to get in the pool after all that."

She smiled at me and kissed me on the cheek before diving into the deep end.

I rubbed my face in my hands, groaning inwardly.

* * *

I held my hand up to Ororo's exquisitely beautiful dark face, she grabbed it with her hand and put it against her cheek, "As dark as me! You're at least 10 shades darker than you usually are, it's quite a hilarious sight. Close your eyes."

I did as told, and felt her cool hands against my face as she lifted the weight of my sunglasses up. Kitty yelped, "Like omigosh!"

I could hear her young girly laughter as she hooted out.

I heard a camera shutter go off and called out, "No pictures!"

Ororo put my sunglasses back on and stepped back, showing me the picture. My face was completely dark and I'm assuming brown, but there was a solid lighter sunglasses tan around my eyes, like somebody had spray painted a sunglasses stencil there.

"Nice, you get a permanent mask." Iceman joked aloud.

Kurt added, "Raccoon eyes!"

Logan quieted Xavier's study, where we all were, the younger kids lounging and eating from chip bags. "Everyone silence, or get out. We need to talk about the recent events."

Kitty stood up and said, "Who like wants to go to the malt shop?"

Most of the younger students went with her, but I stayed for obvious reasons, because I had to.

Ororo asked, "Scott what happened over there?"

I filled her in, "Mystique switched out with Jean at the party, and the Brotherhood kidnapped her, knocked her out somehow, but I don't think it was with physical force, which is hardest for me to understand, none of them have telepaths. She was in their basement, it looked like some weird satanic ritual or something...I don't know. Jean only remembers being at the party until she was knocked out. It could most likely just be a power ploy, Mystique shifting things around for innovation. They had some kind of weird shadow surrounding her though, either it was several or one mutant or just an apparition."

Logan growled, "Mystique is never up to any good, she never lets us rest easy.

He looked at Storm and said, "We'll go down to talk to them face to face if we can, for now, just keep your guard up, even at school."

I nodded and strode out.

* * *

I need to return a library book. Grabbing two hard cover books off my desk, I hurried down the hall, passing by the ajar door to Bobby's room.

"Scott, get in here!"

I poke my head in, seeing him, Ray, Sam, and Kurt sitting around on the beds and floor, playing video games and doing homework.

The blue eyed Iceman says, "We're betting on who we'd end up going to the Sadie Hawkins Dance with! Who do you want to ask you?"  
My face colored and I settled down with them dropping my books, "I haven't thought about it, I forgot it was happening. I'm probably not going like usual."

"You know who I wish would ask me? That Emma Frost, holy cow, you guys." Ray earned the nods of the other guys.

Kurt insinuated, "I know who Scott vould vant to go veeth! Ve all do!"

Ray coughed, "ECHHJEANECHHH."

Turning to the more mild mannered southern boy, I ask Sam, "Have any special girl in mind Guthrie?"

He smiled sheepishly and admitted, "I would't mind if 'Mara asked me."

Shocking, actually, I don't really fathom about the inter relationships in my team.

Bobby gasped, "No way! Not bad, at all. Princess 'Mara's cute."

Ray teased, "Yo what would you do if Rogue asked you?"

The other guys groaned, and I had to wonder why.

"Why what's wrong with her? She's not bad-looking."

"Yeah but, you can't touch her!" Replied Bobby.

I was genuinely shocked and a little disgruntled by their dumb and juvenile logic. Was that really all we guys were supposed to care about? What if you really like someone who cares if you can touch them? Isn't love supposed to be about just admiring and letting the object of affection be who they are, loving them for who they are? Maybe I was just weird, and too fixated on my best friend and used to the whole concept of appreciating but no touching. Even if I couldn't touch Jean, I wouldn't want to, she's a girl I would say yes to going to the dance.

I shot back, "You guys really care that bad if you can't cop a feel? What about Rogue? She's cool anyways, even if you can't touch her."

"You should ask her out Scott, if you really don't care and if you can. I'd put money on that!" Bobby pulled cash out of his pocket. I got up before it could go any further and declared, "I gotta go return these books, I'm not a gambler guys."

What he said bothered me though as I handed my books to a cute girl at the librarian desk who smiled at me. It was wrong to even bet money on a girl, that was stupid and degrading, but if I didn't take the bet did that mean I was the same and not asking her out because of the touch thing? That couldn't be it, I never felt attracted to Rogue that way before, that's just because I don't see her that way, not because of the touch thing, and I don't remember liking another girl besides Jean, and I still can't touch her.

Yet I still like her so much, I like other things about her, I like everything about her.

She is my best friend though and I would rather be her best friend forever, rather than her boyfriend once.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: I'd like to give a whooping shout out to my awesome reviewers! SheJams (I believe your question about Taryn will be answered) and Mechabunny, I PM'd a response to your last reviews thank you so much! You all keep me going. ****To awesome reviewers: Phoenixfire606: I'm going to assume you are the same Phoenix Fire that reviewed before without an account, correct me if I'm wrong, I'll address these responses to you!** **You really motivated me to keep working on this! Thank you for your super cool reviews and encouraging me so much! I really really appreciate it, haha yeah, Jean seems to be coming around very slowly. I like that you think that way about Scott, Marvel DOES need to treat him better. He's the leader, the X-Men are nothing without him! lol. THANKS AGAIN! 3**

**soulmamma: hahahahah 'scotty-poo'. that's hilarious. aww thank you so much for encouraging me to finish! Definitely got me to come back to this work in progress I had, and work a little faster. I'll keep in mind for later that you like lancitty, tabs, and jamie. i like tabby too. hehe you're so right, Scott is so cute and hot and smart, FTW cartoon boys are the best! LOL. Thanks for your review, have a good one.**

**LOVE YOU ALL!**

* * *

Snooping over a certain blonde girl's shoulder, I reached over and snatched the large thick magazine from her hands. She turned around startled, and I flipped through the glossy pages, sniffing at the strong scents of girly perfume coming from the breeze of flipping pages.

I chuckled, "Heh, this stuff smells good, why don't Men's Health and car magazines come with scents?"

Her smaller, more delicate hands reached up and grabbed the magazine back out of my larger, less graceful hands, which seemed browner and clumsier next to hers.

Emma glared up at me returning her magazine back to her lap, as I sat down next to her in the X-Men student lounge.

Sam was helping Amara with her homework and Kurt was listening to music on his head phones, flipping through one of my old comic books that he had borrowed.

"Car magazines? How adorable, Scott. I believe those magazines would smell like gasoline if they came with scent." Emma smiled at me, her eyes crinkling nicely, and I impishly smiled back.

I peered at the ad of some fashion photograph of a woman wearing a wild outfit, her make up done up creatively. Quirking a brow I muttered, "I should read your kind of magazine more...She's hot."

Emma looked down at the international supermodel and corrected, "I believe _haute _is the term you should be using. You haven't seen me pampered up yet have you?"

I seriously ask, "This isn't you pampered up already? Everyday?"

Laughing pleasantly as if I were the most naive thing in the world, she pinched my cheek fondly with that crinkly eyed smile she has just for me and said, "This is nothing, darling."

Shutting the text book heavily, Sam said to Amara, "That's it for today, what are you going to do now?"

Amara giggled, "I don't know, maybe hit the mall with Jean or Tabs. You?"

Sam shrugged, not much for words.

"Are you going to the dance, Sam?" Amara asked innocently, much to the southern boy's embarrassment.

I caught Emma's eyes and grinned, thinking to her that Sam had disclosed how he wanted to be asked by Amara as a date. Emma smirked and watched the two.

"I dunno yet, no-no girl's asked me."

Amara prodded, "Is there anyone you want to go with?"

I almost held my breath in suspense with Sam, seeing if he would do it, say it. I could feel his pain.

Jean walked in and said, "There you are Scott."

I turned to look at her, a numbing sensation over rode me and made my face break into a goofy, dazed smile. I barely managed a, "Hi Jean..."

Amara said, "Jean, Sam won't give me a straight answer about who he wants to go to the dance with, read his mind for me."

The perfect, rules-following dream girl she was, Jean looked seriously at Amara, narrowing her green eyes, "It's against our code to use our powers intrusively. Sam isn't comfortable telling you, wait until he is."

"Who are you asking Jean? Duncan? I wish I had a boyfriend, that saves half the trouble of worrying about finding a date," Amara complained.

I laughed, "Princess problems."

Emma nudged my side with her elbow.

Jean sighed, "Don't worry about who I'm asking just yet. Scott, are you going to the dance?" She directly asked me, I wavered, my legs felt like they were melting under her dazzling gaze.

"Probably not, dances aren't my scene, you know that. No one's going to ask me anyway."

Glaring a little, Jean asked Emma, "And you?"

Leaning forward, Emma murmured, "I might be bored enough to attend a high school dance. Spare me the details. I do want an excuse to buy a new dress anyways. All I need now is a worthy date out of this mess of little boys."

Jean scoffed, "I hate to imagine what you think is 'worthy'."

A wicked grin fell on Emma's face and she brushed my shoulder with her hands, leaning against me, staring at Jean. Her pale hair streamed down my arm in a way that mesmerized me through the ruby quartz.

"Why is it so important to you?" Emma asked. Jean replied, "I'm helping organize the dance, as a part of student council, I just like to know who's going."

* * *

Peeling open the bread on my sandwich, BLT. Could be worse. I bite into it, enjoying the taste. Jean packed me lunch today, she's been very nice to me lately, ever since she was kidnapped.

Kurt's dancing on the table to his head phones, and I try to avoid his wriggling rear end. My friend Paul sits across from me,spooning cold alphabet noodle soup in his mouth.

As I get up to throw away my lunch bag, I bump into a slender girl.

I recognize her as Taryn, one of Jean's friends. She's a pretty girl, but I have the feeling they talk about me sometimes, maybe she makes fun of me.

She sits next to me at the lunch table, a spot I had been reserving for Jean.

"Lucky I found you Scott, I was wondering..."

I smiled at her, trying to be polite. We barely talk, but who was I to ignore a cute girl.

Jean was coming towards us, in the corner of my eyes.

She stopped and stared for a moment.

"Do you have a date for the dance?"

I stared at Taryn, stunned, was this what I think it was?

I shook my head dumbly, was a girl asking me to the Sadie Hawkins dance?

"Would you like to be mine?" Taryn asked sweetly, batting her lashes. Whoa...How do girls do that?

I nodded my head dumbly.

My eye went to Jean for a second, who had turned around. She was Duncan's, she was going with him, why did I feel so guilty saying yes to her friend?

* * *

A long list fell into my lap, Jean dropped it saying, "Taryn wanted me to bring home a list of things you need to do for the dance."

I widened my eyes at it and said, "Why do I get the feeling you enjoy that? Get a corsage? What's that."

She smiled and flicked my forehead, pushing my head back against the couch of the basement, where the pool and ping pong table were among other commodities.

Settling comfortably into my lap in a way that made me extremely uncomfortable, she curled her red hair around a finger and said casually, "Are you going to ask her out?"

Jean looked into my shades, and her hand brushed mine, my skin and belly crawled, "I haven't even planned anything past today, I don't know yet."

Opening her mouth like she was about to say something, Jean paused, "I-have to go, the Professor just asked for me telepathically." She quickly jumped off my lap and ran upstairs.

A dart whizzed past my head, at the dart board tacked behind me.

Bobby called out, "Cyclops, watch out!"

He and Ray were clutching a handful of darts, having ventured down for a game.

I got safely out of the way and headed to the weight room.

I caught Emma's reflection as I did some bench presses, in the mirrored wall.

She was folded out on a yoga mat.

Sitting up, I huffed, "Having fun?"

Laying down, she demanded, "Spot me."

I obligingly got up and stood over her head, as she grabbed onto my ankles and kicked her legs up, swinging them towards me without bending her knees, kicking my chest.

I held my hands out and pushed her legs back down to the ground with force, each time they swung up.

I stopped counting when she started giggling, "What is it?" I asked her.

She giggled between her hands, "I can kind of see up your shorts."

I resisted the urge to kick her in the head.

Jumping away from her as if she were a crocodile, I hitched my shorts down, "Very mature," I mustered.

Still lying flat on the floor, Emma twisted out towards my ankles, grabbing them and flipped me over unexpectedly on my back.

I grunted, the wind knocked out of me for a second, as she crawled up to my sore body, walking her fingers over my chest to my chin.

"I heard Jean's friend asked you to the dance. Jean must be furious."

I frowned, "Why would she be furious?"

Laughing, Emma said vaguely, "Her good friend after her other good guy friend? It's just a girl's intuition to get mad."

I furrowed my brows and said getting a little upset, "Emma, I wish you wouldn't do things like look up my shorts."

She sincerely responded, "Scott, I'm sure Taryn as well as many girls would like to see in your shorts. If you've got it, flaunt it."

Storm's annoyed voice rang out in the gym, "No...If you read the handbook clearly Ms. Frost, you would see that our policies actually encourage the opposite. A policy which," Ororo eyed Emma's white sports bra and shorts combo, "you have clearly dismissed. What were you saying about seeing in Mr. Summers' shorts? I believe that is none of your business."

Springing to my feet, I helped Emma up, and sheepishly rubbed the back of my neck.

"I'm going to excuse myself." Smiling cordially, Emma walked herself out of the gym.

I wiped my brow with the towel around my neck and nervously looked at Ororo.

The older woman reproached, "I'd advise you to keep your distance from that Emma Frost, Scott, it seems to imbalance the team, especially with the effect it has on Jean."

I asked, a little stunned, "What effect on Jean? Is she okay?"

Ororo sighed, "I...just feel that perhaps being caught in the middle of two strong-headed girls isn't the best position for the team's leader. Aside from habitually finding you in questioning situations with Emma, I have some urgent news. Kitty's missing, she never came back from the malt shop the other night, and we sent Jean after her trail, hurry with me, Night Crawler is going to teleport us to Jean, and we're to return Kitty."

Suiting up speedily, I met with Kurt and Ororo, and we were at a business complex in a flash. I looked up at the sky scraper. Frost Enterprise.

...

No time to stop and think. Kitty's life could be on the line. Her innocent young life.

We headed upstairs, to the top floor, racing.

I blasted open the conference doors with my visor.

A burly man with a black pony tail stood behind the plush throne-like arm chair of a CEO's desk. A large cage was in front of the desk, containing a frightened and huddled Kitty.

In the large chair, sat a small girl.

She could be no more than 11, with straight across blonde bangs and long blonde hair, a cute porcelain face and large shiny blue eyes. A pink bow pinned some of her hair back, and she was dressed like a doll in a white dress and white petti-coat, stockings, and little polished shoes.

A hammer sat on her lap, blood splattered on it.

Rubbing her small hands together, the little girl cheered, "More play things, Sebastian?"

The man leered, putting a large hairy hand on her tiny head, "Be patient, my dear."

The man was the same man in the paparazzi picture I had seen of Emma. He was that pimp guy she had hung around...!

An impact suddenly knocked the base of my skull and I staggered to my knees, my entire head jarred.

A group of men in dark blue one piece suits and head masks of a tan color surrounded us, holding guns.

My vision blurred, my skull ringing, body numb.

The burly man cracked his knuckles and guffawed.

So dizzy...

I gritted my teeth, trying to regain my hand coordination and tore off my visor, before slumping forward, as the mercenaries closed in.

Keeping my eyes open, I let rip a torrent of red, before I heard Jean's voice, "Back off!"

Her telekinetic energy swept the remaining henchmen away.

I put my visor back on and sprinted towards the cage, obliterating the lock on it.

Kitty fell into my arms, and yelped, "It's-it's her. I figured it out, it had to be, I couldn't phase through the cage, it was a telepath, had to turn off my powers."

Storm whipped the heavy black-haired man around with a whirlwind.

He laughed heartily, "Back to claim your throne so soon, White Queen?"

Storm let him drop to the floor.

Kitty hugged me close and said frantically, "They're like crazy, they're some sort of like cult or something! That little girl killed like a fucking penguin in front of me! A live penguin! She like keeps like a tank of them somewhere."

I stared at the little girl with her rosy cheeks and large shiny eyes. I never heard Kitty cuss before.

"Sebastian, I never left my throne...What's she doing here. Wilhelmina Kensington...you annoying little brat, get out of my chair. Some of Wall Street's most costly deals have taken place behind that desk. Numbers you can't even count that high up into yet. Get your grubby little hands off."

Emma walked out behind us, in her white uniform.

"You left to play with the X-Men, I'm taking over now, Emma, I'm the new White Queen." The little girl taunted, smiling, all dimples.

Almost as if she were pouting, Emma put her hands on her hips and jutted her chin out, "Shaw, what is the little girl talking about, I went to the X-Men for Hellfire, and we got what we wanted, we have Pryde now. I'm certainly White Queen now more than ever. Grey is here...we can easily overtake her."

Helplessly spreading his hands out, Shaw stated, "Things didn't exactly go as planned...And it seems this diamond does have a flaw. You defected, Emma. I had my suspicions. You've been eliminated."

I'd never seen Emma's face become so livid at that moment, I could imagine her as a wealthy child not getting what she wanted.

Jean pointed her finger, accusing, "It's been her all along! Emma's a traitor, she's been tricking us, she's been an enemy on our team!"

Times like these, I'm glad for the official X-Men uniform and my face-covering visor, as I looked to Emma who side-eyed me in a less than happy manner.

Trying my best to keep my leader face on.

I raised an authoritative hand, "Is-is this true...Em-Emma...?" My voice came out a lot higher than it usually sounds, but this isn't the time to get embarrassed over trivial things.

There was a sudden silence and my eyes met hers, and she kept hers glacial and blue.

Storm muttered, "Mess with our students..." Her arms went out to the side, raising up as her cape spread like wings. Her eyes turned stark white, foggy and cloudy.

Clouds outside formed above us, a storm brewed and thunder, lightening and a torrent of rain came down through the ceiling I had blasted.

My face was soon dripping wet, and Emma blinked through the rain, her lips twitched for a second, down, but then she sneered forcefully, "You didn't really think I liked any of you, did you? Why would I willingly go to that public school and call myself an...X-Men... I'm not a man, I'm a woman. I'm a queen, the White Queen. This is who I really am, I don't need a stupid X on my arm to show my identity. I'm fabulous, darling. Your little assembly of X-Men are all children."

My lower lip curled up and my fists clenched, I shook, "You...came into our home, earned my trust, lied and manipulated every single one of us, and tried to harm and abduct Kitty and Jean, our members. You will pay, I wish it didn't come down to this."

I really wish it didn't...I've never felt so...betrayed.

She held my eyes for a second and then I felt her rush into my mind, her voice, _'I'm...sorry Scott..." _Her icy eyes shattered.

Just then another voice rushed into my head, _'Oh no you don't! You're not entering Scott's head again, you can't do that now. Get out!'_

Jean telepathically pushed Emma out of my mind, and Emma gave me one last sorrowful look under the pouring rain, her eye make up running, and I felt an awful feeling at the pit of my stomach, that I had not felt for a while, it truly threw me off.

I gasped, raising my palm to my face, and rubbed it down, as pathetic tears streamed down under my visor, mingling with Storm's rain.

Emma came forward abruptly, her hand out to me, mouth open. A pink-tinged force of telekinetic energy came in a wave at her, throwing her back, against the wall.

I swallowed, hard, and found my voice, "Nightcrawler, you know what to do."

Kurt was instantly wrapped around the burly man, in a blink and a cloud, and then teleported into the cage Kitty had been held in.

I shut the cage with a quick optic blast that wedged the bars together, and Kurt instantly teleported out, leaving Sebastian Shaw in it.

Jean had done a scan on everyone and quickly filled my head with the knowledge of Sebastian's mutant powers that absorbed kinetic energy directed at him, and converted into greater speed and strength for himself. Had we not known, this fight would have been a lot more volatile and dangerous. If we had used force on him or I had turned on my force beams on him, there is no telling how powerful he would have gotten. By not starting off with combat, and surprising him with Nightcrawler and locking him up before he could absorb any power, he was as harmful as a normal man. It was that simple if you just think for a second.

Shouting out to Jean, I said, "Jean, try to block Emma's telepathy with yours and give us a coverage of mental shields if you can!"

Reluctantly, Jean stared at Emma who challenged her with a menacing glare, "I'm not sure I can, Scott! I've never practiced on another telepath besides the Professor!"

I reassured her, gripping her hand, "I believe you can do this."

Smiling meekly at me, she put on a tough face and spread her arms out, fingers extended at Emma who countered back with her own psychic attack.

A rumbling came from Storm's wrath and then a rumbling came from the ground that shook.

Behind us, the Brotherhood came up, without a warning.

While Emma's eyes still surged white, her mind connected to Jean's in some intense, inner psychic battle, she called out, "With what the Hellfire Club is paying to collaborate with you incompetent delinquents, I would think you would have come sooner."

Thoroughly soaking the Brotherhood with a downpour, Ororo crashed a frenzy of lightening down on them, electrocuting them from their wet skin to their cores.

Angrily Jean shouted, "Emma, you are SO expelled from our school!"

Kitty aggressively asserted, "You never belonged, you never could."

Sneering even more, Emma concentrated, her white eyes glistening with telepathic energy.

I had no idea what was going on in their heads.

We needed to end this fast, I didn't want to put too much strain and pressure on Jean and her powers.

Kitty ran towards Avalanche who was dazed and covered in black, crisp from being fried. "Lancey, we are like, totally over!"

She punched him hard in the face, knocking him over.

I secretly cheered inside, that's our Kitty!  
She caught my proud smile, and grinned back.

If it's Lance and Kitty though, they'd probably be back together on and off again within the next couple weeks if we made it out of here alive.

A red beam punched Sabertooth out of the air as he lunged at me, in a way similar to Wolverine. I felt the red energy leave my eyes.

Mystique did a roundabout kick towards me, distracting me.

A few glowing yellow balls bounced towards her, and exploded about her. They went off like fireworks.

Boom Boom stood at the damaged door, with a handful of her cherry bombs in her hand, and a sassy face, "Not so fast, Boom Boom reporting for back up!"

"Boom Boom, how did you get here so quickly? How did you know?" I stared at the slacker student of the mansion, relieved and proud of her, she replied, snapping a bubble gum bubble, "I was hanging out with him." She jerked a thumb at the knocked out Alvers, and I groaned. Despite differences on teams, Tabby still hung out with the rebels at school.

The other kids stepped up, lead by Charles and Wolverine.

Ray and Bobby took on Blob together, freezing and electrifying him at once.

Rogue pushed Sabertooth out of the building while Wolfbane and Multiple Man surrounded Toad.

Sam canon-balled at Mystique, pinning her to the ground while Amara burned a metal pipe around her, melting it together with lava and fire.

Canonball then tackled Pietro at top speed, taking the speed demon out mid stride.

The Professor wheeled up beside me and said gravely, "I sensed something more sinister afoot. Scott, have I ever told you about my twin sister growing up, Cassandra Nova?"

Chuckling almost bitterly, Professor Xavier waved his hand, "No time to catch up on histrionics, Cassanrda Nova is a parasitic life form, she has psionic abilities and can exit a womb and create a body. She used my DNA to be born with me as my twin sister. She believes she and I are the only true existing life and that everything else in reality isn't real, she has tried to destroy everything I ever cared for, including the dream. She must be stopped, Scott. I have tracked her down in Emma's head, she has possessed Emma somewhat for some time and influenced part of her consciousness."

Kitty pulled a face, "Eek, sounds unpleasant!"

That's a lot to sink in... Putting his hands to his head and closing his eyes, Charles said, "Jean needs my help, I'm beginning to sense spikes in her power level, her power is increasing, if I can go in there and fight with her against Nova, I'll be able to contain Cassandra, I trust you to take care of everything out here Scott. If all goes well, I shall see you in a bit."

He entered the telepathic battle as I rounded up my X-Men and took head count of the bad guys.

"Night Crawler, teleport everyone back to base! Storm and Wolverine stay with me."

The little girl had disappeared, and I had barely noticed.

A gush of flames shot at me, with a nimble leap, Kitty jumped onto my shoulders, grabbing my head and phased both of us so that the fire went through us without hurting me.

Pyro appeared behind some rubble and fired up his flame thrower again, giggling maniacally.

Kitty ran in zig zags toward him as he fired away at her, the flames uselessly going through her.

Finally reaching him, she swung her leg out and phased him through the floor so he was stuck half way, with his arms stuck at his side, phased through the ground.

I panted, "Excellent work Kitty. Thanks for saving my butt."

All around us, things were ablaze, on fire, and parts of the building began falling apart.

Storm did her best to put the fires out, as Logan sniffed growled at Sebastian through the cage bars, hustling him.

Rubble came raining down with the downpour and burnt parts.

I quickly rolled over out of the way as some cement came down on me, lurching as I saw a huge chunk of burning wood come down on the Professor and Jean and Emma in the midst of their psychic battle.

The Professor used his telekinesis to shield himself.

Jean struggled to concentrate on Emma's head and telekinetically shield herself too.

The Professor warned, "Jean, let her mind go, Jean, enough. She is weakened."

Jean's eyes blazed, her red hair seemed to be on fire, in the light of the flickering, dying flames around us.

Emma disappeared under some flames.

I had a mixed feeling, one part of me was angry with her, and another longed to help her, I didn't want to hurt her still.

The wall behind her exploded, and she was sent sailing out of the building.

Oh heavens.

Running forward, I sprang up and vaulted out of the building after her, I vaguely heard Jean scream out as her telepathic connection snapped.

There was a whole street many floors below us.

I stared down as I fell, free falling like those many years ago from a burning plane with my brother Alex.

Hitting the side of my visor, I let unleash a torrent of scarlet concussive blast, slowing my fall down and lessening my impact to the ground.

Twisting my body as I landed on my feet, I looked up with my arms out, knees buckling slightly as Emma fell into my arms from up high.

Emma dully and limply held her head up, looking around, she drawled, "You caught me...My hero..."

We were standing in the middle of a gigantic smoking crater in the middle of New York City.

We came out of the smoke, me still holding onto her as the others rushed down to find us.

Charles had telekinetically bound and brought a strange glowing, enlarged fetus form down, encased in a pod of light.

He spoke in my head, _'Excuse me Scott, I must go take care of this matter...I will depart for now.'_

Nodding at me, the Professor wheeled away.

I fought the urge to go after him. He always did this, no matter how close I thought I had been to his plans, he pulled out mysteriously, always keeping something hidden from me, even if I was doing his bidding, I had no idea what I was doing sometimes.

I felt Ororo's hand on my shoulder as we watched him go off, and I sighed appreciatively.

I felt Emma's weight become slack, and she passed out in my arms.

* * *

Looking into the infirmary, I stared at Emma as she lay comatose.

After the psychic toll her brain had taken from Cassandra Nova and Jean and the Professor, she had fallen into a coma, we were waiting for her to wake up any day now. This whole situation was getting complicated. Sebastian Shaw was locked away somewhere top secret, but the Hellfire organization was still running free. The Professor said I didn't have to worry about them just yet. Whatever that means.

Emma hadn't even been here that long, but maybe her annoying tendency got under my skin, and it felt a little emptier around the mansion without her catching me on my stupid goofs.

A lot of people don't think I'm a wishful thinker but they'd be surprised. I wish for lots of things, it's just because I don't say it out loud or do them that people think I'm a boring straight edge.

I wish my parents were still alive, I wish I weren't a mutant sometimes, I wish Jean would look at me the same way I look at her someday, I wish I wasn't such a geek, I wish I didn't have to lead the X-Men and Charles' dream, I wish I didn't care so much, I wish I was buffer, and right now I wish I had never found out about Emma being a traitor, I wish things would go back to how they were and I wish she would wake up and take it back and play chess with me again. I wish I didn't want her to be okay, I wish I hated her.

Snap out of it Summers, I'm being a mopey baby.

Fuck, it's been weeks, and she still hasn't woken up and she isn't going to wake up, and it doesn't even fucking matter anymore because she was never really my friend, she always thought I was a geek, just like everyone else thought.

I should have suspected, why the fuck would she want to hang out with me? She was doing it for her own motives, those times we had weren't real.

_'You reveal quite a lot when you think no one's listening. Your thoughts alone could have woken me from my coma. I've never heard you curse before like that, not in your thoughts. You should kiss me to wake me up. That might work.'_

I fell forward.

With her shimmering pale blonde hair like a halo around her, Emma lay back with her eyes still closed, but a smirk playing on her lips.

I approached her gingerly, "Emma, can you hear me?"

Those pale blue eyes opened, crinkling just for a second as she smiled at me in that way she had just for me.

"Scott..."

I felt a shortage of breath, I didn't know what to do and my cheeks heated up.

"Good to see your vitals are fine and you're awake, Ms. Frost."

Hank came in in his lab coat with Jean behind him, looking cross.

I moved aside for Hank to talk to Emma.

Jean took my arm and embraced me close.

I walked out with her, giving Emma one last look.

Shaking her head as if I were a bad puppy, Jean affectionately patted my head and coaxed, "You were worried about her weren't you? Typical of you Scott Summers, to be such a good guy and care even for the traitorous enemy...You're sweet, Scott."

She lingered her hand against my cheek, leaning her forehead against mine and looked into my eyes with a smile.

"Professor is going to have a long talk with Emma, he said she was partially under the influence of Cassandra, but I'm really not sure it's wise for him to offer her a temporary spot back at the X-Men. I know he's expecting her to still try and prove herself and of course, it's not going to go over well with everyone else, but he said he would work that out with us. You and him both are too forgiving sometimes..." She said, in a tone that was not really talking as she trailed off, eyes still looking up into my glasses, and forehead against mine.

There was a slight shift in her neck as she angled her face and leaned in a little closer, her amazing lips coming closer to me.

So close.

Just as they came closer to mine, I spilled, "Did Taryn tell you what time I should pick her up for the dance?" These weird moments between us were happening too frequently now.

Jolting her head a bit, Jean drew back with wide green eyes and exclaimed, "When the dance starts! Duncan and I are going to be there early to help set up, I'm going to meet Taryn later...I can't wait. You guys are going to be so cute together. I don't know how I didn't think of it before."


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: PhoenixFire606: Thank you so much for the review and gratitude and compliments! Lovin' ittt :D Yep, Emma has a lot to redeem, but she's a stubborn girl. Thank you again for following this story and for your enthusiastic and super duper helpful feedback! Have a good one! Welcome to the world of fanfic accounts! **

**SheJams: SHout out to awesome reviewer! I shall PM you soon ;)**

**Hope you lovelies enjoy! THanks so much for your time! SERIOUSLY!**

* * *

Thrashing my limbs vertically across Xavier's Olympic sized pool.

The clean blue chlorine water reflects purple and lavender to me, the water is cool and glides past my body as I move down the pool.

Hit the wall, flip, turn, streamline, and swim forward.

After a good round of laps, I slip out of the water, hoisting myself on the wall with my arms.

A pair of bare feet are waiting for me, as I surface.

I look up long smooth legs, and see Emma up and appearing unscathed in a white swim suit.

No, I've been avoiding her.

Can't she understand I don't want to see her after everything that happened?

She shoves me back into the pool with an outstretched toe and crosses her arms haughtily "We're going to have to make amends and work together on the same team you know, may as well start now."

I climb back out and reach for a towel, rubbing myself down, ignoring her completely.

I sense her hovering behind me, watching my back.

She murmurs in a soft voice, "Scott..."

I growl, "Go to hell."

She chuckled, "Been there, done that. I'm not going back, I've been abandoned by the Hellfire Club, my alliances with Shaw are broken. I'm not saying accept me with open arms, but I want you to know, that you of all people, are one of the reasons why I would want to stay with you X-Men."

"What does that mean to me, I can never trust your words again, you're full of it, Emma. You may think I'm some kind of idiot but I won't stand for it if you ever try to harm Kitty or Jean again. What did you want with them?"

Losing my temper a little, my face aggressively neared hers, backing her up against the edge of the pool wall.

She fluttered her lashes down and said, "You're the only one I don't consider an idiot, I knew that right away. We wanted to recruit Kitty, she would have been useful for a new school I was opening up in the future. As for Jean...she may not know it yet but she hides a lot of power and further potential, she would be a useful telepath... Nova was strangely obsessed with possessing Jean. What is it about Jean that you hold so dear to your heart? Why is she so special to you? I can read your mind, if you don't tell me."

Her eyes follow a bead of water dripping down my chest.

I muttered, "The nerve you have! Okay, well, since you have no respect for privacy...It's my responsibility to care about each and every member on the team. Jean's just...Jean to me...I care a little extra for her. She's been here longest with me, we grew up together in some ways, she's my best friend. Before I came here, before I met her, I was nothing, I had nothing, I lost everything and I was an orphan living on the streets. I did despicable things you couldn't even imagine, just to get by, I lost myself, my brain was full of holes. Then I came here, I met her, and everything changed. She gave me a reason, a purpose to be alive and fight for good, and then of course Xavier's dream became another purpose for me to live. Jean's the best part of me. She made me a better person. If I lost her...the best part of me would die. It sounds dumb, but I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand."

Looking down, Emma replied, "I think I'm..beginning to understand...perfectly what you mean. Thank you for sharing that with me Scott."

She looked at me, her eyes a little softer, and she changed her tone, and swallowed, "I hope you get her someday, Scott. I really do."

Without a fight or snide remark, Emma dove into the pool, and I left to go get ready for the big dance tonight.

I hadn't even had time to think about the dance or school, with everything that's been going on.

The hallways were abuzz in the mansion, everyone's bedroom doors were open and kids were going in and out, changing and helping each other get ready.

Jean had started getting ready hours before the dance, I looked at the watch on my wrist as I strapped it on after a shower, I had an hour before I had to see Taryn.

Sprinkling a little bit of Ray's gel in my hair, I combed it back and added a little bit of after shave to make me smell nice.

I proceeded to put on my only suit, the one for special occasions, and checked my watch again.

Kurt burst into my room, his hologram disguise on, and proudly wearing a funny powder blue suit with a ruffled shirt under.

He twirled around, "Ta daa! Pretty cool, huh man? Look at ze blue fuzzy dude!"

I smirked wryly, "Amanda's a lucky lady tonight."

He jumped onto my bed that I had just made, and kicked around, "I'm zoooo ztoked! I had 10 pixie stickz and mein gott, do I love America for your sugary candy!"

Bobby walked in holding up two ties to his collar and asked, "Scott, this one, or this one?"

He held up a light blue silk tie and a black one, I laughed, and pointed at my eyes, "You really wanna ask the color blind guy? Blue would bring out those eyes."

Bobby laughed and thanked me, tying the blue one on, and then flopped onto my bed with Kurt.

"Hey Scott-Man, are you trying to get lucky with Taryn tonight? Man, you are so lucky you scored her! She is a fine upperclassman!"

Doing my cuff links, I scolded Bobby, "Girls aren't scores, Bobby. She is very pretty though. I'm not going to try anything, I barely know her, we're just going as date partners to the dance."

Bobby rolled his eyes, "Exactly. Date. Do you know what that is, Scott?"

"Scott vouldn' even know a girl liked him iv she hit him over the head vith a pan and dragged him down the aisle."

I shot Kurt a dangerous look.

Running downstairs, I found Ororo in the foyer putting out snacks for everyone. I held up my tie to her and asked apologetically, "'Ro, can you...?"

Laughing pleasantly, she grabs it from me and moves towards me, circling her arms around my neck and bringing the tie around my collar.

Expertly, she tucks the tie together into a graceful knot and smooths the length of my tie out, against my shirt. Sternly gazing her light sky colored eyes into my sunglasses, she said, "Always be safe, however, do not forget to have fun and relax Scott. You have grown into such a fine and good looking gentleman, be yourself with this girl and remember your manners. Respect a girl, just don't get carried away and make sure a girl respects you!"

I put my hand over her caramel-toned one on my heart and promised, "I solemnly swear to be on my best behavior..._mom." _I snorted out, rolling my eyes a little.

Storm leaned in and chucked my chin, chuckling good naturedly. Smiling a little sympathetically, she said in a lower tone, "If your mother could see her boy tonight, I know she would have as big a smile as I do. You must have inherited her beautiful smile, remember not to hide it! The girls must swoon whenever you smile at school. I don't know why you must frown so much. Why you hide yourself."

I sarcastically replied, "Defense mechanism? I don't wanna get hurt. It's an age old method the primitives used."

Sighing endearingly, she tightens my tie, "Ohh, Scott..."

As everyone's dates began to arrive, I picked Taryn up and brought her back where the rest of the X-Men and their dates were taking pictures.

She had hugged me when she got into my car, and I nervously smiled, "Wow." Was all I could say as she came out in a pretty orange dress and gold hoop earrings, her lush dark brown hair down. I didn't know too much about Taryn except what Jean's told me, but I knew she was a good looking girl, how did I get asked by her? Miss American Teen. A Bayville babe.

I can't deny that I do find her attractive, though intimidating.

I wish I were like Warren or Kurt or someone who was charismatic and could talk to girls and say cheesy lines easily.

Instead, I nervously put my hands around her waist as she throws her arms around my shoulders, and swing with her to the music in the dark gym, where strobe lights and streamers decorate the atmosphere.

I haven't seen Jean yet.

It felt incredibly awkward to be this close to Jean's best friend, a girl I had thought didn't even look at me twice whenever I came around her and Jean.

She is in my classes, and I'll make small talk with her once in a while, but that's the extent of our relationship.

Mutual friends of Jean. Was I supposed to talk to her while I danced? Was I not supposed to? Why didn't I think about this before? I could have asked Jean.

Where is she anyway? I catch myself looking around the crowded gym for her, not catching sight of her familiar red head.

Taryn squeals, "This is my favorite song!" She wraps herself close to me and I reflexively move with her.

She smells really good. I can't think of anything to say so I say, "Uh. You smell really good."

Giggling, she flutters her lashes and says, "Thank you, Scott. You smell really good too."

I blush, and grin, "It's my, um, after shave...I put some on..."

Looking at me intently, she asks, "Oh did you?"

I don't know why but I suddenly feel even more self-conscious, and just kind of move about with her on the dance floor. I wonder if she can see my peeling sun burnt skin on my nose.

Tabby is dancing in a group of people, going wild, and shaking her rocks off. I can see Lance scowling in the corner, wearing a black t-shirt with a fake tuxedo printed on it. His mullet is hanging down shabbily, but he has slicked his bangs back and is glaring at Kitty as she dances with Kurt and Amanda.

Clumsily charging like a typical quarter back in a suit, Duncan bumps into Kurt, almost knocking his hologram device off.

I hold my breath, that leader muscle in me spasming.

I let it out when I see Jean come behind Duncan, a vision in a light olive green dress.

The music speeds up and I turn my attention back to Taryn, to keep up. She's a very good dancer...

Smirking slightly, I chuckle when she does a cute little booty wiggle, catching my eyes and laughing with her dark hair whipping around her face.

Bending my knees a little, I let her grab my hands, genuinely having a fun time. Who knew dancing was such a great work out.

She pulls me into a whirlwind of dancing and I'm surprised at how natural it feels for the music to just flow though you.

We're slow dancing now and Taryn has her arms around my shoulders. She's looking into my sunglasses and murmurs with a smile, "You look handsome in your suit, Scott."

Grinning sheepishly, I nod, "Thank you, Taryn. You're...very lovely in that dress."

She cocks her head, "I figured orange wouldn't clash too much with your shades. How are you even seeing in this dark?"

I smile, daring to kid, "Super powers."

She puts a hand to her mouth and giggles prettily. I can see Jean standing in the corner, arms crossed and looking angry at Duncan who is fooling around with his buddies by the punch table, completely ignoring her. I frown, if I had Jean as a date, I wouldn't neglect her like that... Duncan's a fool. I guess girls like that though, right?

Sighing, Taryn says, "Jean really doesn't give you enough credit..."

I snap my head back to her, "Huh?"

Ray and Amara drift right by us, I see Sam standing by the wall, gangly in his white suit.

I whisper into Taryn's ear, "Can you wait one second please?"

I tap Ray on the shoulders and hand him Taryn, "May I cut in real fast?" He obliges, happy to dance with any girl and takes Taryn's hand as I move in front of Amara, leading her. She blushes and tightens her grip on my hands and declares, "Color me shocked, Scott Summers...I had no idea..."

Twirling Amara around, I nudge her towards Sam and ask, "Sam, ever dance with a princess?"

A beam breaks over his face as he shyly takes Amara and they dance off.

Having done one good deed for the night, I take Taryn back from Ray, and get in the spirit of the night with her. Trying to clear my head of the redhead always on my mind.

After a while, we take a break and Taryn's talking to her friends, taking pictures and I stand around, loosening my tie a little. It's gotten hot and crowded in here, the music is winding down as the night wears on.

My hair's a little ruffled from the exertion. Duncan is still with his friends, and I spy Jean look around one last time and stomp off, out the gym entrance.

My heart lurches, and my instinct is to go after her. I shake my head, no, she's not my date, I'm here with someone else, that wouldn't be fair to ditch her.

Duncan is Jean's date, this is something he has to solve and deal with. He needs to make this better for her.

That ass, I could deck him right now if I didn't have this damn self-control that makes everything I do a conscious choice.

Taryn looks busy...

She is one of Jean's best girl friends...she would care about this too..

Against my better judgement I go off, after Jean. I couldn't stand to think of her alone and upset. I know how she gets.

I power walk out the door, and am about to go down the stairs outside when I bump into someone abruptly.

Someone in white.

I stand up, shaking my hand off and help her up.

My next action isn't a conscious choice anymore, I become paralyzed and open my mouth, no words coming out for a minute. My heart beats faster out of fury and anger I think.

I flush, I'm that pissed off at the sight of her. I have to bite my bottom lip to hold back an impulsive compliment out of sheer reaction.

I know she can hear these thoughts, damn telepaths.

"H-hello Scott. I'm glad to see you..."

Distractedly, I regain my composure and explain, "I need to go, I was on my way to see someone."

"Please don't go just yet... I know you hate me, I can...feel it. It hurts, it hurts me, and I know how much it hurts you, and that pains me a little more. I can't explain it in words...I know you hate me because you cared about me, and that-that makes me sad Scott. I...don't like myself right now, and I can't explain this guilt from what I did to you, what I did to our friendship. Your company means a lot to me, I don't know...I don't usually feel remorse. Getting to know you was more than just a scheme, it became something else, and I hope you know what I mean too. I sound pathetic, and I don't remember sounding like this person in a long time, yet somehow you understand me more than anyone has. You appreciate me for my actual value. You make me want to be a better person, the kind I despised. Why do I care what you think about me so much? If you have it in you, please just tell me the truth... Is there something...there between us? Can I earn your trust back? I need you to talk to me again."

Long diamond earrings dangled from Emma's ear lobes, and her silvery blonde hair was smoothly tied back in a pony tail, and she wore some kind of glitter all over her collarbones and face, in a strapless white dress made of a very nice looking material. Gulping slowly, I said, "I'm sure you say this to every fool you've needed to trick or use for some petty reason or other. I know what you are now Emma, you showed me. I didn't believe or want to believe what I heard about you later...what I saw in the papers... I thought you were better than that...I was wrong, and I was easily deceived. You're not my type, you're a-a harlot! Jean's my type, she's the kind of girl I like. A decent, honest, and loyal girl."

Curling my fists up, I stomped past her, looking straight down.

"Oh yeah? A decent, honest, loyal girl who can't make up her mind about the amazing guy she has in front of her? A girl who treats you as her back up boy? Who would rather choose popularity over her true and honest feelings? I'm not perfect Scott, but you accepted me, and I will do right by you." Emma held her chin up, staring evenly at me.

Flaring up, I seethed, "If you were a man, I would shove you right now."

She hissed, "I take that as a compliment coming from you. I want you to be happy Scott...I...care about you. I think if you gave me another chance I can make you happy. It's strange, after everything that happened, I dreaded seeing you, I was so...ashamed, at the same time though, I dreaded not seeing you."

I flat out told her, trembling with rage, "You mean nothing to me. I need to go find Jean."

* * *

The parking lot of the school was lit up and quiet, only a few kids out to get a breath of fresh air.

I walked up the pavement to a bowed over figure, Jean in her dress, sitting on the curb with her arms over her bent knees.

I took off my jacket and swooped it down over her bare shoulders, sitting next to her on the curb.

She turned her face to me, startled, and her forlorn face broke into a smile. "Are you okay? I noticed you left off in a hurry..."

Nuzziling my shoulder, she sniffed, "You noticed...? I didn't think you saw me. Taryn and you looked cute...looked like you were having fun. I'm glad she got a great date."

I shrugged, "I'm no star football player though. I'm not a prize."

Burying her face in her hands, she moaned, "Stop it Scott, your modesty is so unwarranted. You shouldn't second rate yourself."

Did something I said upset her?

Kissing the side of my head, she laughed, "No, you didn't say anything to upset me Scott. You should go back inside, your date's probably waiting."

Mocking her, I cocked a brow, "Your date's probably waiting."

Taking a deep breath, Jean stammers, "Scott...there's something I have to confess. I was going to break up with Duncan, and ask you to be my date tonight...Then Taryn got you first and...I just...I feel so stupid, I waited too long to come out and finally admit it. I can't believe I just told you. I don't know what I expected, that other girls wouldn't notice what a catch you are? Do you hate me?"

My mouth hung open in shock for the second time tonight. Did I just hear correctly? Am I dreaming? I'm sure I've dreamt this before. "I could never hate you Jean..." Pulling myself together, I continue, "Why though...Why wait until tonight to tell me? Why did you put me through this torture for four years?"

I tug anxiously at my tie, staring at the asphalt ahead of us. Jean puts her head on my arm, and asks, "What are you thinking?"

Holy mother of...under a freakin' out parking lot light pole's LED glow, she can still manage to look so gorgeous. Her red hair looks soft to touch, her lips are worriedly curved at me, I love everything about her face.

Feeling a little out of breath, I loosen my tie some more, gasping, "I-I..."

She places an outstretched palm under my chin, and looks at my lips.

Summers, you're a dead man.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: I was so honored by everyones' feedback! :')**

**SheJams: AWWWWW thank you so much again for another one of your splendid reviews! Thank you thank you thank you for your time and the funny and insightful feedback you always have. Wow I'm so glad you were able to go on an emotional rollercoaster! Haha yes! Heh when Jean's alive I'm always conflicted with Jott or Scemma. I mean, when she's dead it's a total no brainer! LOL. I won't give too much away right now but seriously, thanks x infinity for your coolness!**

**SoulMomma: Hahaha don't worry about it! It's honestly more than enough that you leave me such delightful reviews! They are fun to read ;D**

**Oooh XD lol you might hate me for this chapter... I like the story picture too, thanks. Scemma forever for sure! Kitty's still a little mad at Lance for attacking the X-Men and working with the Brotherhood and Hellfire Club to kidnap her. Or something like that hehe. You bring up very good points, I hope I am able to address them in the coming chapters! **

* * *

Huhhhh...

"Scotty, I think I'm going to kiss you." She hasn't called me Scotty since we were 15.

Jean's still staring down at my lips, hers so close to mine. All I can do is nod in bewilderment, leaning backwards a little.

All my adolescent years I never would have thought this would possibly happen.

Her lips are soft and nice. I can't believe this is real. We both just sit stunned for a second, lips touching, and then some instinct takes over and I know I can't make rational decisions right now.

Before I know it, we're wrestling ferociously around on the school lawn.

She falls back as I fall forward on top of her, my jacket slipping off her shoulders and spreading out on the grass, cushioning her back.

We change the tempo from fast and scrambled, to slow and tender, savoring this thing we've been wanting for years. I cradle the back of her head in my hand, scooping her face up to kiss her, as she pulls me down on top of her by my necktie, against the ground.

There's an urgency between us, it's like we can't get enough fast enough, its burning, and she's melding her body to mine, as if she's trying to fuse us, holding onto me tightly.

I hear a telekinetic tug and my buttons popping as some force behind me tears my shirt off and flings it away.

Using my necktie that had not been ripped off with my shirt, and still hanging around my neck as a noose or leash, she tugs me down hard, smashing her lips against mine.

She's hiking her dress up and pushing me down on her, muttering to me, everything I would have ever wanted to hear from her lips.

I can feel her stiletto heels digging into my lower back, as she wraps her legs around my waist.

Distantly, a rumble shakes up the school grounds. I think maybe I can hear far away screaming but we are rocking around on the ground too hard to notice.

Stopping for air, I breathe heavily, pulling my face away above Jean's as she rapidly covers my throat and pecs in kisses. "Wait-wait wait Jean...Je-Oh brother...Jean...We shouldn't be...we can't. I can't do this, you mean too much to me, I don't want to ruin our fr-mmf!"

She captured my lips in hers, and dismissed, "Shut up please." What can I do when Jean continues to make out with me? My will crumbles around this girl like nothing.

Sounds of people and commotion grows louder, and there's lots of yelling and screaming. Someone gasps and I can hear Kurt teleporting in and out, doing something busily...

I tear myself up, away from Jean, and she and I look over towards the school. Everyone in the gym had evacuated to the lawn, and crowds were staring at us on the grass.

Jean's hand was still around my necktie, pulling me down, and I am awkwardly on all fours, balanced on top of her, looking stupid without my shirt on and just a necktie around my neck.

Teachers are roaming around, trying to calm students and collect everyone. Pietro is zipping around, calming many girls, and still grooving to the music pumping inside the torn up gym.

Throwing his jacket off, Duncan charges forward, "Alright, that's it, let's go Summers!" His football buddies jeer behind him. I kick myself inside when Taryn blurts out, "Jean! How could you...?!" She flees, followed by her friends.

A hush has come over the crowds as people become distracted from whatever went on inside the gym. Everyone's looking at us, and whispering to one another, and I feel like the worst person in the world.

Slowly, I get up to my feet and help Jean up, who guiltily pulls her skirt down and brushes grass out of her hair.

Rogue is in the back, looking sulky with her friend Risty. Tabby looks like she's about to burst, and she's looking around incredulously. She just keeps gasping, "Noooo! NO WAY! OH this is good."

"Look Matthews, let's keep it civil. I-I'm sorry...I don't know what else to say right now. It's my fault. I'm not going to fight you over Jean."

I put my hands up, palms open. Jean puts her hand on my bare back, I can feel her behind me.

Duncan sneers, "How do you like having my sloppy seconds Summers? Face it, you know Jeannie's just a little pissed right now because I wasn't paying attention to her, you're just her rebound guy. She's just using you to get back at me." He opened his arms and coaxed, "I'm sorry baby, come on back, I get it, you have my attention now. You know I hate this guy."

That stung, whether or not I believed it, it had to sting. I suddenly feel the gravity of how stupid I look in front of the entire school, the night air against my bare torso as a reminder.

Clearing my throat, I quietly say, "I should..go find my date...I will fix what I did." I walked away from them.

My reflexes kicked in when I sensed Duncan coming up behind me, aiming a punch at my right ear. Without turning, I grabbed his wrist and twisted him into the air, landing him on his back.

I continued to walk away, picking up my jacket to cover myself. If the teachers hadn't been there, I knew Duncan's friends would have jumped in.

Kitty rushed forward, "Scott! Where have you like been? Lance held off some of the monsters and Kurt's like talking with Forge to teleport them back but like now would be a good time to go leader mode!"

My stomach tightens, "Monsters? Forge?"

Shadowcat shouted, "There were these big red dinosaur things from like another dimension! Kurt accidentally left some port holes open when he teleported dimensions, and they got into the dance! The Brotherhood helped keep them under control and Forge showed up to send them back to their dimension. Like, where were you?"

* * *

A very grouchy Woverine stared down at Jean and I sitting before him in the Professor's office. The Professor sat behind his desk, and Logan stood. Ororo neutrally stood behind the Professor, quirking her brow at me once in a while.

Gruffly, Logan said, "I don't know what you two were thinkin'. As the two senior leaders of the X-Men, your irresponsibility surprises me."

Jean and I looked guiltily at each other quickly, before looking down at the floor, heads and shoulders bent.

Charles declared, "Student affairs are none of our concern unless it affects the team like this. I must say I am disappointed in you Scott, your carelessness could have been very costly, and I know you of all my pupils have hind sight."

Biting her lip, Jean protested, "It wasn't all his doing...Scott's not the one to blame. It was just a slip, we had no way of knowing what would happen, Professor! 'Ro, you know what I mean, tell them."

Shaking my head and crossing my arms, I grimly interrupted, "No, he's right. I shouldn't have done what I did, it was very reckless and dumb of me. I apologize, for everyone. I'm a leader, and that comes with principles. I know I have to always be alert and ready to organize the team, to defend others."

Ororo said, "Now, now, Scott...this isn't meant to be a punishment, just a lesson and overview of the events last night. You're allowed to have impulses and feelings...It's about time you two did something about it."

Jean gaped at Ororo, and Logan gave her a puzzled expression, and growled, "Are you encouraging them? You are way out of line 'Ro."

Xavier cut in with a twinkle in his eyes, smiling, "The point is, you are both adults enough to know what is right and wrong, and when the right time is and isn't. What happened last night was unexpected, but we must always be on our guard, as mutants."

I nod, "Of course."

In the hallway after we are dismissed, Jean corners me and asks, "Do you regret what we did? Would you take it back?" I paused, all I felt was guilt for not being there for the school.

For hurting Taryn's feelings, for going against my moral code and kissing another guy's girlfriend. It wasn't something I reveled in. Narrowing her eyes a little, Jean said indignantly, "Unbelievable, Scott Summers...Man up and just take what you want! Do you like me Scott?"

"It wouldn't be right, Jean..." I hopelessly reply. She cries out, "Screw right! This is about you and me, not about what's right or wrong in the Scott Summers' rule book. I broke up with Duncan, this morning, Scott, what are you going to do about that?"

Whoa. Despite last night, I would never have seen that one coming. Somehow the news doesn't bring me the joy it had when I day dreamed about it happening.

I feel responsible for this...  
"I need to talk to Taryn first...It wouldn't be fair." I tried to reason with her.

Exhaling, Jean laughed a little angrily and said, "Are you choosing her over me?"

Gritting my teeth, I replied, "I didn't say that! You got to talk to Duncan, I should talk to Taryn, I did kind of fail as a date."

Sighing, Jean sank her shoulders, "I know that...I suppose. I just wish you didn't always have to do the right thing. This is hard for me too, Scott, everyone at school hates me now, they all think I'm a cheater. It's like, the biggest lunch room gossip right now."

Refraining from tucking her long hair back, I step back from her and say, "I'll talk to you later then?"

As I walk away from her, I kick myself again. Was that the best I could say?

Calling Taryn for the fiftieth time, I hung up to her voicemail, I had already left her 10 apologetic ones, I didn't want to get a restraining order put on me. I had left flowers on her front step, too afraid to ring the doorbell.

I dropped my phone to the floor and walked out to the balcony.

The sun was setting and cast a pink-orange glow all over Bayville. To be honest, I'm not sure how to feel right now, the girl of my dreams is finally giving me a chance and I'm already tripping up.

It hasn't hit me yet, last night was a dream. The irony was that I still woke up being the douchiest geek in all of Bayville.

Somewhere next to me, I hear the faintest sound of a girl crying. It's quiet and fading but I can tell by the pattern of her breathing and the sniffling.

I look at the balcony diagonally above mine, and squint.

Unmistakably in a short white bathrobe, Emma Frost is curled up in a chair, sighing and wiping stray tears with a tissue.

Just walk back inside Summers.

I didn't have to deal with this, she was a traitor and liar, not my friend. I had enough girl problems and I didn't need to add more to my plate.

Lift my right foot, left, right, left, right. I make it inside my room and flop desolately on my bed, alone in my misery.

A cluster of plastic battle ship pieces lay on the floor where I had spilled my box set. I scooped them up in my hand and stepped back outside. Aiming quickly, I threw some pieces at Emma who screamed out in shock.

Picking up the pieces, she looked at them then down at me on the balcony and parted her lips.

I asked curiously, "Were you crying?"

She put her feet back down and smoothed out her hair, "No," she said quickly.

I furrowed my brows, "Well you are a liar..."

A plastic battle ship came hurling right back at me.

Crisply, she threatened, "If you ever tell anyone I was crying, I will personally come down there myself and hurt you."

"Do I need to come up there? You're not going to jump off the balcony are you?" I asked hopefully.

Biting back, Emma retorted, "I wouldn't dare bloody my Dior on this lot."

Surprisingly, I was a little disappointed when she stood up. "Where are you going?" I asked.

She turned her head towards me and commented vaguely, "Back into my room, I don't need you to watch me in my worst."

If this is her worst, she makes the rest of us mortals look bad.

Snidely, she whimpered, "I heard that."

I scowled sternly, "You will do no such thing as going back inside. I know you're just gonna go in to cry by yourself. I hate the hell out of you but since I've already seen you crying, I won't be able to go back in without feeling terrible for not doing anything."

"If you're asking me to talk about it with you, I can't do that. How do you do it Scott? How are you such a good friend to Jean, how do you positively endure it when you like her so much? I don't have your patience, this is an awful sensation. I don't care that everyone else hates me, I'm used to that. For once though, I had someone I trusted. You and Jean are a fitting couple, I couldn't help but notice you two getting cozy at the dance. I hope she turns out to be everything you wanted. Good night Scott, I'm going in." Rolling her eyes a little, Emma added in a tongue in cheek tone, "Unless you can get up here and stop me before I reach the door somehow."

She had not meant it, but before she could take it back, I swung up and latched onto the railing of the balcony above mine.

Running over to look over her railing, Emma screamed out, "SCOTT NO!"

Securing my glasses on with a free hand, I lunged towards her balcony, and managed to land on the edge of it, my feet slipping, barely on it. I was face to face with Emma who had both her hands over her mouth and was staring at me with wide pale blue eyes.

I grinned for a split second before my footing slipped and I fell down, arms flailing up. A shout escaped my throat and I rapidly stuck my hand out and grabbed onto the railing. Emma's hands were around my arm, and she lifted me up, over the railing.

Losing my balance, my heart pounding from the near-death slip, I fell over and onto her, knocking her back on the floor.

We caught our breaths and I gulped, rolling off of her.

Emma did not budge. She panted, "That...scared me! Why did you do that?"

"You were crying", I stated, simply because that was all there was to it. Our nervousness and panic from the accident turned into hysterical bouts of laughter.

* * *

The warm smell of bacon and eggs woke me up a little as I slumped tiredly at the breakfast table.

Smiling generously and worriedly at me, Ororo glided by, scraping perfect sunny-side up eggs on my plate and strips of bacon with a spatula from her pan.

There were shadows under my eyes, Emma and I had stayed up late talking. I learned a whole lot more about her than I think she's ever shared to anyone. Definitely an eye-opener. I still can't say I forgive her or trust her right away though.

I had asked her for advice however, on whether to ambush Taryn at school today with apologies and make it up to her or leave her alone for a while.

Emma had told me I should seduce Taryn during her soccer practice in the girl's locker room.

I am never asking Emma for advice on girls again.

Instead, I found myself facing Taryn in a class we share and awkwardly apologizing, "Please know that I didn't mean to be such a jerk, I did have a really great time with you, you didn't deserve that."

I wondered if words would have any effect, when my actions were so blind.

Taryn heaved a sigh and twirled her dark hair around a finger, "I mean, I guess I should have expected it... I knew Jean was obsessed with you forever. Duncan's probably going to try to beat you up. I'd watch your back. It just sucks that you guys had to make out in front of the whole school"

* * *

Every muscle in my body is straining as I scale up a cliff wall by the bay. Logan walks under me and calls out, "Nice form, Slim!"

I muster a grunt back, climbing up using my upper body, and sticking my feet in crevices and on protruding rocks.

The waves crash beneath us at the bottom of the rock wall many feet below me.

It's just me and the cliff wall, and a rope hooked to my belt loop. I live for these kinds of thrills, I do try to be cautious but nothing can beat that feeling of adrenaline rushing through when something crazy or dangerous happens and you come out alive.

After reaching the top, I climb back down. Logan meets me half way up, using his claws to stick into the wall.

"What's goin' on with ya lately Slim? All this stuff happenin' must've rattled you somehow. Don't forget you're just a kid. Should I be worried anythin' might be botherin' you enough to put the team in jeopardy? You do have a pretty big role."

I slid down a little, before digging my toes and fingers into rock cracks.

The 'ka-chunk' sound of Logan's claws stabbing into the rock wall as he lowered himself as well followed.

"We're both not much for this kind of conversation, Logan."

He replied, "Just checkin' on your ability to lead right now."

Dropping down a few more feet, I answered, "I missed one incident! I know that's not acceptable in our case, but come on Logan, I won't do it again, and I never have until that one mistake!"

"I trust you Red Eye. Just don't let a girl get between you and your duties."

As I neared the ground, Jean's voice entered my head, '_Meet me in the library."_

I climbed down as fast as I could and loped back to the mansion, a hook still clipped to my belt, before Logan could get another word in.

I try to dust my hands off on my pants, as I enter the cool and shady library.

Jean is illuminated by a lamp and her hair looks golden and rich.

She asks, "Did you talk to Taryn?"

I nod. She crosses her arms and says, "Well...?"

"It went better than I expected, still not something I would want to do again though."

A moment of silence followed and Jean pointedly looked at me. Finally, baffled, she asked, "Aren't you going to ask me out or something?"

Err... Oh boy.

I nervously said, "Isn't it a little too soon? You...just broke up with Duncan and I shouldn't rush this especially if Taryn's still upset. This is just...a lot to think about. You're my best friend."

Jean smiled, "And you, mine, Scott. You always will be, nothing can keep us apart anymore."

"I don't know, Jean...I don't know if we should date. That could change everything."

Putting her arms around my waist, Jean suggested, "It's okay, we can take it slow, we don't have to date yet, we won't tell anyone we're together if we're not. We're still just best friends."

I look down at her innocent face, her beautiful shining green eyes looking up at me. "Yeah..." I mutter, before taking her face in my hands and kissing her.

* * *

Jean and I are sitting in between some book shelves, disheveled and shell-shocked. I look at her, "That-that cannot happen again."

I readjust my glasses and Jean groaned, "Definitely not. Best friends don't do that. We should really take this slow. I've wanted you for so long, I don't want to mess this up."

Tentatively, we sneak out of the library together, then go opposite directions.

* * *

Man, once girls get in your head, it's impossible to stop thinking about them. Damn testosterone.

I catch up with Kurt as we leave school for the day. He's amiably talking about Amanda and all I can think about is Jean. Ironically, some hippies are blasting the song "Summer Lovin" on their truck stereo outside the school.

Throwing up peace signs, Kurt runs off for a date with Amanda. Since I was a little later than usual today, I ended up getting a bad parking spot in the far off end of the lot.

As I near my car, someone jumps up from the other side and then everything goes dark as a bag is pulled over my head.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: You guys are seriously awesome! I'm overwhelmed by all these positive reviews. Thanks for taking the time to read and review!**

**idstealer000: haha yah, i've been trying to do some variations of how i portray scott and i know a lotta people don't like his pussy footing portrayal when he's skirting around making a move on jean in their early years. as a fan, i tend to write him as likable as I see him, but I know that is just boring, so I try to make it a little more even. I think one of the reasons jean was most frustrated with him in their relationship was that he was too shy to take the initiative and always had to rationalize. anyway thank you so much for your honest feedback!**

**Cathy: Hi Cathy! First of all, THANKS A BUNCH for giving my fic a chance and for leaving such sweet and truthful reviews! That's so awesome of Soul Momma to recommend this fic to friends! I'm seriously like positively tickled. I grew up watching the X-Men Evo show as well, and I always liked that version of Scott and Kitty too! Gracias for loving this! I'm loving you as a new reader! I don't mind you saying you don't want Jean to end up with Scott! Seriously, I appreciate all honest feedback! Even if my chapter's sucky one day, I would benefit if someone told me that honestly. I don't take offense and I benefit from honest opinions. In fact, I might even agree with you even if it seems like I don't story-wise lol. I'm originally a Jean fan, but I can also see her character for the sometimes vain girl she is, but it's still endearing in some ways. I guess I like her out of obligation rather than actually liking what kind of woman she actually was. but she's dead, so i can't really ship someone they've actually killed off, i'd go nuts! and yeah, after like her second death and resurrection i think i stopped caring as much what they did with her. I agree, Astonishing X-Men was pretty great, it was one of the best of all the characters. scott and emma were written really well in it. one of my favorite runs. Thanks again for your kind reviews! :D :D**

**Soulmamma: YO, I am so very honored you recommended my fic to Cathy! Thanks for the mention, I really am grateful! You're definitely thinking along the right lines...a guy does not just jump over a balcony for just a friend hahahahahha. Thanks and much love soulmamma! :)**

**SheJams: It's like you're writing this fic along with me! Or reading my mind at least. Every scene you said reminded you of Evo scenes are exactly what I was thinking of when writing this chapter. LOL. I like your reactions, thanks for letting me know them, it helps because sometimes I write some things questionably, just to see what it would be interpreted as, because I'm not always definite about that. Fan girl away all you want! You sound like an awesome mom, your kids should know how lucky they are! I'm serious! Aww that's so cute though, your boys sound adorable! Thank you, as always, your reviews are like crack to me hah. They certainly do keep me going! **

**warfolomei: HAHHA that's pretty cool that X Gonna Give it To Ya came up for you, I'm listening to it right now, dang. Thank you for your great reviews, hope you enjoy this chappie :3**

* * *

Someone is behind me, holding a bag over my head and locking my arms back.

Oof. An impact kicks my stomach in from the front, causing me to double over.

Before I can even begin to move away, a barrage of what feels like sticks and fists and cleats is coming down on me. I can hear the scuffle of a few peoples' feet on the asphalt. That annoying and familiar snicker of Duncan Matthews fills my ears through the bag.

He pounds my stomach again and bellows, "This is for stealing my girl, Summers! This is for making me look like a loser in front of the whole school. I wouldn't waste my time on the bitch if I were you, she's a prude, won't give any action. You're used to that though, aren't you, freak?"

I kicked a leg out towards where his voice was, striking his athletic body. I could hear him wince a little. Several pairs of hands tightened around my arms, and some scratchy rough material was being tightened over my wrists and ankles.

"Don't call her a bitch, Matthews! The only one I hear here, is you." I called out through the bag.

My knees buckled when a stick-like object whacked across my shins.

I could feel at least three burly guys under me, lifting me up with my hands tied behind my back, and tossing me on a flat surface. An engine rumbled and the surface began to move. Well this sucks.

I've deduced that I'm in his truck bed. I struggled and kicked the walls of the truck bed, flopping around like a fish. "COME ON MATTHEWS, YOU'VE GOT TO BE JOKING!" I roared, to the open air.

In situations like this I was trained to keep calm, I go back to my lessons, trying to think clearly, breathing stifled in the burlap bag tied over my head.

Concentrating, I project my thoughts to Jean, letting her know what I knew. I didn't know where I was so I couldn't tell her, but she had a way of picking up signals or something.

Some country music was blasting inside the truck, I could hear a bunch of guys whooping and throwing bottles out the window.

If I'm lying parallel to the length of the truck bed, and the guys were going to open it from the end, I could possibly try taking them out if I just wiggle to the other end.

Sure enough, the truck rolls to a stop, after a series of rough bumps where my body was thrown up and down.

It smells piney wherever we are. I roll over to the edge of the truck bed, and I can hear the scuffling of feet again and someone unlocking the end of the trunk. Winding my legs back, I throw myself blindly in the dark, hitting someone. I can hear guys all around me and strike out at each one coming near me.

I can hear the sound of them falling, and quickly wriggle to get out of my binds. A heavy stick swings at my back, toppling me over on my face.

I'm breathing heavily and hotly in the head bag now, I can smell musty dirt through it.

"Stay down, Summers!" Duncan yells. Another guy's voice laughs and orders, "Get his clothes!" Some more feet scuffle up to me and begin ripping my clothes off.

"Duncan, you're going down, mark my words." I seethed. Some cleats kick me over on my back.

Something is clicking or rattling in a can that someone is shaking. All of a sudden, a cool and wet, strong-smelling mist is spraying my torso, a 'sheeeeek' sound of a nozzle spraying this reeking stuff around. It stings a bit on the various abrasions on my chest and stomach.

Duncan's voice mocks, "X marks the spot. Rig him up boys. We're gonna play target practice with you."

The rope around my wrist is pulled up until I'm suspended in the air.

My arms are hanging, and I pull myself up a little to reduce the strain on my sockets.

"This town has such little imagination."

I know that voice from anywhere by now.

A guy sneers below me, "Hi Blondie, how much for a-." He doesn't get to finish that sentence as he breaks out singing, "I'm a little tea pot! Short and stout!"

After hearing a series of thuds, I am let down from my place above the ground.

I rub my sore wrists, and let Emma pull the stuffy bag off my head. I fix my glasses, my hair is a mess, sticking up wildly.

Looking at her surprised, I state, "You came."

She smirks, "I was just around listening in on your head this time. I don't think Jean got your projection."

"I need to work on that," I say, surveying the trees of the woods around us. The baseball team from our school is curled up in fetal positions on the ground, sucking their thumbs. One jock is dancing with his legs and arms bent, tipping over and humming the teapot song. He thinks he is a teapot.

Emma explained, "I made them think they're in the womb right now. In an hour they'll return to their normal states, but I have mind wiped them so they will just trot home obediently without a question."

I pointed at Duncan sprawled out on the ground, and asked, "Him too?" She smiled pleasantly, "No, with him, I bashed his head in." She held up a fist that seemingly liquefied then hardened into a bright shiny diamond fist.

I tried not to look admiringly at it, and held back thoughts about how brilliant she is, a genius really, as I looked around at the base ball players and Duncan all knocked out. I saw that the sticks I had felt were their metal baseball bats.

"Bastards. Humans can be so ignorant, can't they?", Emma vehemently spat out, looking out from under her lowered lids at them.

I put a hand on her arm, which was bent with her hand on her hip, "Hey, we're all human, Emma. Mutants can be just as ignorant..."

She smirked, "If that's a blow at me, well put. Are you...okay?"

I turned my back to her, snapping my wrist back into place, "Like you would care", I muttered.

She swept her hand around the forest clearing, "Haven't I already shown you I do by coming and saving your ass?"

Stubbornly, I squared my shoulders, "I didn't need your saving."

Skimming her finger tips lightly on my shoulder, she came up behind me and coaxed endearingly, "Oh Scott...Why didn't you just use your powers? It was a defensive situation. Are your morals really that tightly wound?"

I turned my face to her, "Stop it Emma, I hate when you talk all condescendingly to me. I'm not a baby."

She crinkled her eyes at me and said, "Of course not, darling."

I leaned in angrily, "Don't call me darling."

"Then what should I call you?" She asked sweetly, wiping some blood off my forehead with her hand.

I grabbed her wrists, stopping her, the movement jerking her a little. "Just Cyclops on the field, other than that, we don't speak to each other. We are not friends, you made that clear enough."

Smirking deviously, her voice came into my head, '_I'm good at the not speaking part. We can just talk here in our heads. Cyclops'_

Letting out a groan, I throw her wrists down much to her bemusement. "Don't tell anyone about what you saw." Emma looked at me questioningly and I said, "I just don't want Jean to worry. It's too soon, I know how she gets."

Shaking her head, Emma laughed, "You insist on being a martyr at the most unnecessary of times. Masochistic much? This silent brooding hero thing is only going to bring you pain."

"The sadist and the masochist, what a horrible team we would make. We make the perfect enemies." I said back.

She coolly drawled, "I beg to differ. Alright, anyway, this will be our dirty little secret." She gives me a wink I know she's doing just to annoy me.

"How did you even get here?" She smirks again and twirls my keys around her finger. "I found these in the parking lot and I got curious and decided to read your mind, I saw what happened and did the most logical thing."

My heart stopped. "You. Drove. My. Car...?"

Throwing the keys at me, she murmured, "You can drive us on the way back."

I feel a little violated, or rather, I feel like my car was violated. I don't ever let anyone touch the wheel, my car is the most precious object to me aside from ruby quartz.

Tapping her foot encased in a pair of white sandals, impatiently, she demands petulantly, "I don't even get a thank you?"

Feeling a little hot-headed, I know I'm being immature but that doesn't stop me, "You should be thanking me for not leaving you here."

I stride past her, looking for a way out.

She called out, "Scott, stop your posturing, you know that's something I would do, not a good boy like you."

Pressing the unlock button on my keys, I hear my car beep and locate it. Emma and I get in to my cherry red, white striped convertible and before I accelerate, I look back at the jocks and ask, "Aren't there bears...?"

Emma rolled her eyes and said, "Let's not pretend you care..."

Her long platinum hair flies up in the wind as I speed down the road.

* * *

As soon as we get through the kitchen door, Jean is scrambling out. She looks worried and just got off the phone in her hand. "Something terrible has happened! Duncan was found walking through the woods with a head wound, disorientated! He's at the hospital now, I'm going to go see him, what if it was about me?!" Jean put a jacket on and then halted, "What are you doing with her?" She asked me, seeing Emma come in.

Oh shit.

_'Remember...our dirty little secret...' _Making me nervously fiddle my fingers, Emma's voice saturated my brain as Jean stared at us.

The first thing to come out of my mouth was, "I gave her a ride home! We do have to live in the same place now."

Emma docilely sucked on the tip of her iced coffee straw, with cobalt blue eyes exaggeratedly wide.

As Jean edged through the door, she said with a wary eye on Emma, "I'll be back soon."

Putting a hand behind my neck, I waved at her with the other one and sighed when the door closed.

I'm going to tell her, I just couldn't at that second. When she comes back though...as soon as she gets back I'll have found a way to tell her what happened.

Can't believe I just lied to Jean.

A little while later, she came back, saying that Duncan was completely fine and that he did not have any head injuries like a concussion, merely a skin wound by his temple, where he had to get a few stitches. He had no recollection of how he had gotten hurt and it was assumed the blunt object that hit him was probably one of the numerous footballs his head often took, or a knock to the ground from practice.

She sounded more irritated than worried now.

Grabbing Jean's shoulders, I said carefully, "I need to talk to you about how Duncan got hurt..."

Angrily, Jean declared, "No need. I scanned his head for his last memories before he blacked out. The blunt object to his head was made of diamond...Emma's hand to be exact."

I protested, "Emma was helping me!" I knew I said the wrong thing when Jean narrowed her eyes, "Are you defending her?"

She leaned in close and asked querulously, "What happened to your...face...and body?"

I had covered up with spare sweat pants and a sweater I kept in the trunk, but up close there were apparent flesh wounds.

"Scotty...take your clothes off."

I flushed, "What?" I choked out.

Swiftly, her hands went under my sweater and lifted it up. She gasped and called out, "Ororo?!"

Coming in from outside the window, watering the plants on the sill, Ororo marveled, "What on earth was done to you child?"

Shrugging, I feebly chuckled, "Traditional high school hazing?"

My bare back and chest are covered in streaks of dirt, scrapes, gashes, bruises, blood, and cleat prints. My torso has a large blue X spray painted across it.

Incredulously, Jean asked, "Did you really think you could hide this?"

"I tried projecting it to you, I don't think you got it though. Emma picked up on my thoughts and sort of...rescued me. I have to thank her for that."

Jean softened her brow and peered up at me, "That was...good of her. I'm sorry, maybe my telepathy isn't strong enough right now, its been having strange spikes I can't control. I've been dealing with them with the professor, but they've been changing from very powerful to weak unpredictably."

She pushed me towards the door and ordered, "Go get cleaned up and meet me down in the med lab, I'll patch you right up."

On my way up, I passed Emma who was wearing a white sleeveless blouse tied above her high waisted white shorts. Her hair was done up in a complicated, braided low bun of some kind that looked spectacular in her pale silvery hair.

I nodded stiffly at her and said gruffly, "This is your thank you Emma...Thank you. Also, you look radiant." Is that even a word people can use to describe a girl?

Emma smirked and said, "Yes Scott, that is a wonderful word to say to a girl. Thanks."

Moving towards her, I embraced her in a hug, holding her against me.

She relaxed after a few seconds and hugged me back.

"You have commitment issues." Emma announced to me. I frowned, "No I don't! I'd say I'm a pretty loyal person, I follow through with every commitment I've ever made."

She challenged me, "Then why are you suddenly withdrawing from Jean as soon as she's showing interest in you? She's everything you wanted, and now you're suddenly scared and trying to distance yourself from her. I've been in your maze of a head."

Gulping, I looked into her eyes and said truthfully, "That doesn't mean you know me."

The weird thing was, I had the nagging feeling that even though Jean and I had taken our friendship to the next level in some ways, it still felt exactly the same as the last couple years I spent being her best friend. I suppose change doesn't come over night.

I left Emma standing in the hallway, huffing in shock when she saw that I had left blood stains and a giant blue X imprint on her all white clothing.

* * *

After running myself through a quick shower and scrubbing the spray paint off with some solution Ororo gave me, I met Jean downstairs, and waited patiently as she rummaged through a medicine kit, the metal table under my butt getting kind of cold.

_'I could do a thing or two about warming those hot buns up.'_

Ehm...What?

I say aloud, "Jean...did you just mean to project...?"

She looks up from the medicine kit and turns bright red, "Was I? I'm s-sorry Scott, you were kind of projecting your thoughts, and maybe I accidentally responded...Oh my gosh."

She turned to me with tongs clamping some cotton and iodine in her hands.

I twist away from her as she steps in front of me with the iodine. Jean forcefully wedged herself in between my legs hanging off the edge of the metal table, applying the foul amber liquid to my cuts while I squirmed.

"I can't believe Duncan and those guys would do this to you... If us being together right now gets you hurt...I'm sorry I tried to force things. You were right. I'll wait, we can wait this out."

Sweeping my hand up the side of her neck, I rested it underneath her long red hair, cradling the base of her head. "So, I've been reconsidering us after a string of events... I'm thinking maybe we waited long enough. I don't care who knows or who beats me up for it. I want to be your boyfriend."

Whispering, Jean asked, "You mean it?" I leaned down and placed my lips on hers, hoping the answer would suffice.

Needles to say,

It did.

* * *

**AN: Would you guys prefer if I PM as many review responses as I can? I know sometimes you might want to not have to scroll through chunks of Author's Notes for fics, so let me know if anyone has anything to say on that. **


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: ****WOWOWOOWOWOWOWOW Seriously, thank you so much time and time again, everyone who has followed this story and encouraged it! Wow, I never thought I'd get this far into chapters with it. Usually my attention span wanders... But all the super kind words and exciting feedback have really made it something more! I can't even...ahhh virtually tearing up. I can't believe I reached 42 comments, this is like one of the highest number of reviews i've gotten for a story. Per SoulMamma's suggestion, I will respond to reviews at the end of the chapter! **

* * *

"Heeeeeeyyyyyy badda badda badda badda!"

Tabby adjusted her bat on her shoulder as Jamie crouched behind her with a mask on and his mitt up.

Kurt threw the base ball up in his three fingered hand and continued to taunt her before pitching her a low one.

I put my fingers through the chain link fence of the dug out where I waited for my turn to bat.

Ray sat next to me on the bleachers, wiping his mouth after taking a drink of water.

I twisted my baseball cap backwards and encouraged, "Go Tabby! Hit a home run!"

Kurt called out, "Heeeeeyy badda badda badda-!"

The bat hit the ball and upon hearing it strike solid, Tabby finished, "Boom!"

She gloated at Kurt and ran for the first base, where Kitty scrambled to pick up the ball Rahne had thrown at her.

I whipped my cap off my head, as Bobby slid forward on a strip of ice and tagged Tabby out before she reached home plate.

Fanning myself with my hat, I seethed through clenched teeth, "No powers!"

I felt a pair of thin arms circle around my back and shoulder.

Coming up behind me, Jean put her chin against the corner of my neck and shoulder and smiled. She thought to me, '_meet me behind the dug out.'_

She slipped away quietly and I looked after her, puzzled. Was I supposed to follow her...?

Looking around, and seeing everyone else intent on the game, I stretched casually and got up to go behind the dug out.

I put my cap back on and approached Jean who was leaning against the wall with a sly grin.

"What's up?" I ask, trying to be friendly.

She put a hand on the brim of my hat and turned it backwards, then leaned up and kissed me. My knees almost gave out.

Panicking a little, I said discreetly, "Jean aren't you worried we'll get caught?"

She kissed me again and said, "Who cares? You're all mine now."

I put my hands around her waist, enjoying the feel of her slender frame against me, under my chin.

Jean looks good in a baseball jersey and knee-high socks.

I peeked my head around the dug out and watched the game quickly, "Wait a minute, someone's missing."

Jean quirked her brow, "Everyone's here, Mr. Hotbody."

She pulled me back behind the dug out. I frowned and stepped away, "It's...Emma, she's not here."

"Who cares?" Jean said flippantly.

"I do, the point of these team base ball games is to build trust, team work, and cooperation so we can connect better on the field. Emma as a team member has no excuse not to be here, she needs to be here, she's part of the team."

Jean laughed, "Hardly. Scott, she tried to kill and sabotage us."

Biting my bottom lip, Jean sighed, "This is what I get for wanting the sexy dork."

It's still a little weird to hear Jean talk like this, but I suppose I'll get used to it

I forced myself to pull away from her and headed back to the mansion to look for Emma. Duties first.

Tentatively, I lowered my voice and tried to sound firm as I put a hand on Emma's door knob. "Emma, it's Scott. Why aren't you at the team game?"

The door immediately swung open, revealing the crazy blonde girl who stood before me wearing one of my sports team shirts that had my last name and a number on it.

Gaping, I demanded, "What are you doing with my shirt?! Where did you get that? Put some pants on!"

The shirt was a bit over sized on her, and hung just below her butt. Her long bare legs protruded underneath, apparently pants-less. I tried my best not to think about if she was wearing underwear at least.

This is the second time she has managed to make something of mine look so much better on her.

It must be a super power. A third mutation that almost all females have.

"If wearing a large butch t-shirt gets you to notice my physique, I should have stopped wasting time with lingerie a long time ago." Seeing the horrified look on my face, Emma said wryly, "I'm just kidding. I found it in the laundry, and decided to borrow it to sleep in. It's been getting quite drafty up here... I thought about attending the game, who am I to turn down the chance to terrorize my fellow team mates? Then I figured there was no point. Everyone wants me out of here, I already know it, no need to rub my nose in it. It's not like anyone would miss my presence."

"Emma! The point of these games is to bond with the team and build trust! You have to be there."

She pouted and stared at me, "Okay Scott. Only because you came up here and asked me so nicely."

The telepath twisted her hair into a pony tail and bent over slowly, to retrieve a pair of spandex black shorts from her drawer. I cleared my throat and looked away as she looked over her shoulder at me, with her butt threatening to peek up at me from below the shirt.

Her shorts barely showed under my huge shirt, but she did not seem to mind.

I looked around her very neat bedroom. She had changed the standard school bed sheets to white ones with a lot more pillows than the school supplied.

There was a very expensive looking lap top on her desk, and a neat stack of hard cover books. I looked at the classic titles, most people wouldn't peg Emma for a reader... I lifted the cover of the top book and flipped through the pages, it was some romantic novel, 'Love in the Time of Cholera"...nor would anyone peg Emma for a hopeless romantic. I saw that movie a long time ago, the romance was shown during the time two lovers spent apart, and their ways of coping without one another.

Her lithe hand slammed the cover down on my thumb.

I winced, blowing on my thumb. She glared at me and whispered threateningly in my face, "You're the hopeless romantic, not me."

"Me? I'm the most stoic guy you can find here, I lack the imagination, where do you get that idea? If you had picture frames to rummage through, I wouldn't go through your desk."

Emma did not seem to have any visible photographs out.

Stiffly, she replied, "Out, out, let's go."

As Emma walked past me to leave her room, she took my cap off and put it on her own head, backwards.

When we reached downstairs, the sound of a blender erupted in the kitchen.

Rogue was sitting at the table, eating a pop tart, while Kitty stood at the counter, blending some pink concoction.

At the sight of Emma, Kitty glared fiercely and Rogue muttered, "I wouldn't go out to play if ah were ya... There's no room on the teams fuh a back stabbing...whajamacallit Kitty?"

Kitty spat out, "Vapid hoe."

I was amazed at how calm Emma could seem, although something told me she was bristling underneath. As if she could barely be bothered, Emma retorted, "Definitely do not need to be called vapid by the most 2-dimensional valley girl I have ever seen. If it weren't for your usefulness, I'd begin to worry that the only things you lived for were being justified and passing judgement."

I grabbed Emma's shoulders from behind and steered her out, calling out to Kitty and Rogue, "Hey, girls, let's try to get along as a team! Today is all about good sportsmanship."

We walked out through the courtyard, red rose bushes in full bloom, thanks to Storm's tender care and organic rain water.

Abruptly, Emma halted and turned around, bumping into my chest as I continued to walk.

I stopped and held my hands up in the air, unsure of what to do. She leaned against me and nuzzled her face against my chest, bringing her hands up.

It took a little while for me to figure out that she was crying. I awkwardly patted her back and put my hands on her shoulders, "Umm...You okay? Need a tissue?"

Wiping her eyes on my base ball shirt, she simpered, "Tha-that's okay, thank you Scott. I don't know...I just feel so alone. I just want to get away but I don't even have anywhere to go anymore, I've ruined everything. Here...I was finally kind of making a home for myself, I had...something, I had you...as my friend. I shit on that too. I don't know how you do what you do Scott, don't you just want to scream and go crazy? I've watched you and I just don't know how you do it, I've been in many peoples' brains, I know what your experiences could do to destroy someone, but you...you're so fortified, you're so strange and genuine."

I said seriously, "I just have responsibilities and obligations that I keep. You're not alone Emma, you have us, all of us, just wait a little, the team will warm up to you. Just strive to prove yourself, I know you can do it."

Looking up and squinting her eyes a little, Emma said breathlessly, "Why do you say these things to me Scott?"

I shrugged, "One of my responsibilities. Plus, you're a lot less scary and a lot more relatable when you're like this, instead of the ice queen. I know what you mean about getting away. Trust me, it will get better. I'm here to help, and so is the faculty. You seem to forget this is a school still."

Emma reached her hands up and grabbed the collar of my shirt, pulling me a little closer to her. She said in a sotto voice, "I trust in you Cyclops."

With that, she released her grip and continued to the baseball diamond. I jogged ahead to walk next to her and asked, "Have you ever even played baseball or softball?"

Shaking her pony tail, Emma quipped, "Nope. I can tap into a skilled player's head though, and figure it out."

"Don't you get bored of doing that? Why not pick it up the old fashioned way."

She cheekily grinned at me, hugging my side, putting an arm around my hips. "I'm not as good as you at sports, it's not something I care to learn manually."

It was Ray's turn to bat. The field hushed when everyone spotted Emma. A ball came sailing out of nowhere, with a deadly accuracy and knocked Emma in the eye.

She fell backwards, into my arms as I caught her.

My baseball cap flew up as she fell down.

Ray ran towards us, waving his arms and yelling, "I didn't mean to do that! I didn't!"

Jamie stood up, pushing his face mask over his head, "I saw that! The ball was going nowhere near you guys, it almost changed course like, really fast!"

A little aggravated, I shouted, "This is why we don't use powers! Did you see that Ray? You hurt someone! This isn't funny team, I know we were all hurt by Emma's actions, but that's no excuse to hit a lady in the face with a ball!"

Ray's eyes widened and he threw his cap off, "I didn't use my powers! I promise! Have Jean mind read me!"

Everyone looked to Jean in the dug out who had her arms folded and was looking suspiciously guilty.

* * *

**AN: **

**Soulmamma: Hope you liked this next "curveball"! Thanks again, for your support and reviews! And thanks for the tip to add responses at the end of the chapter! It did help! Have a good weekend :)**

**Guest: Heeeeeheeeehehe, thank you Guest! I am so very excited you liked it!**

**SheJams: As always lady, you are SPOTTTTT ON! You got exactly what I had intended! It's no coincidence he took initiative after Emma confronted him. She just might qualify for a valid "sex therapist"! Hahahah by the tone of your reviews and your avatar, I always imagine Storm saying your comments LOL, and I agree Duncan would be dead meat! I'm glad you get the pains of teenage boys, Scott is regarded as the boring nihilist leader, but even cyclops as a teen IS a teen boy regardless of how much he scowls and frowns. **

**warfolomei: WarFoLoMei, as always, a pleasure to read your reviews, I have only the utmost gratitude for you and your feedback! I got so giddy when I saw the insightful reviews that shot up in several of my fics! Thank you! I have a really OCD way of responding/ taking care of things so expect to be barraged within the next couple weeks! Hahahha your review for this chap sounds like a wildlife documentary. Great way to put it, Emma treating Scott like a LITTLE LOST LAMB. lmfao, that is so what he is in her hands and she is a wolf in sheep's clothing.**

**MechaBunny: Omg fangirl away! I'm so delighted. :D**

**borismortys: Thank youuuuuu! You make me feel achieved. I'm even gladder than you, that you found this fic! **


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Ugh I despise repetition, and using the same concepts or scenes over again but i wrote this chapter out rather absent-mindedly and noticed i used a scene i have used over and over again in some other fanfics. i think subconscious tends to do that a lot. anyway i didn't really want to change it after i read it through, so please forgive me!**

**Review responses at end of chapter.**

* * *

Rahne in dog form was holding the baseball between her jaws, tail frozen in mid air. Ruffling his short spiky hair, Ray shouted out, "Aren't I telling the truth, Jean?"

aEmma slunk against me, her palm over her eye. I latched onto her elbow instinctively, and the whole team looked expectantly over at Jean who continued to have a stunned and ashamed face.

I knew that face. I dared to ask, "Jean, is Ray telling the truth..." In my head I questioned her, '_Would a certain telekinetic's power have had something to do with this?'_

After a moment, she projected to me, '_Are you mad?'_

I looked to Storm who stood at the outfield, and requested, "Ororo, can you please have a talk with Ms. Grey while I take Ms. Frost back for proper care?"

Almost everyone's jaws dropped, as did Jean, who looked at me unbelievably.

Just then, Rogue and Kitty came walking up, pitchers of smoothies in hand. Kitty yelped out, "Who's thirsty?!"

When she noticed that all eyes were pointed to Jean and what was going on, she lowered her arms and said, "Wrong time?"

Putting a steady arm behind Emma's back, I guided her back to the mansion.

I sat her down in a chair in my room, bringing my medical supplies out, and crouched in front of her, inspecting her face. "Take your hand down", I ordered.

She shook her head stubbornly, her blonde pony tail swinging. I reached up carefully and slowly, grabbing her hands and lowering them.

Her blue eye stared at me despairingly, an angry red welt already swelling, and the skin under her eye bruised a little.

I dabbed her eye with ointment and pressed an ice pack against it, strapping it to her head by wrapping bandages around to keep it secure.

Awkwardly, I fluffed up a pillow for her to lie back against on my bed, and clicked the TV on, trying to make her feel more comfortable.

I asked in a tone that wasn't pushing it, "Can I get you anything?"

She whimpered, "Just a bottle of bourbon and your company please."

It might be because Emma has already done so much, that I'm not even surprised by her request as I trudge downstairs to stealthily bring her back a bottle of nice bourbon from the Professor's study. I knew the Professor was out in the gardens by now, thinking and enjoying the outdoors.

The texture of the crystal glass against my finger tips was poky and thick, the whole bottle was riveted.

I balanced two of Ororo's fine crystals she uses to serve important guests, on my elbow and another cupful of ice.

Somehow I reach my door without breaking anything.

Emma had turned off the TV and turned on my stereo to one of my jazz CD's. I get a lot of shit for having that.

Steadily, I pour her a glass of the amber liquid with some ice and myself.

The smell of the liquor was strong and stung slightly, as I put my nose over my glass. I grimaced, "Is bourbon good?"

Emma broke into a smile, her rare dimples creasing along with her crinkled nose. "This kind of bourbon is very good. You've never had it? You're as wholesome as they come aren't you?"

I shrug, taking a sip, "Whatever you want to call it." As the chilled alcohol hits my tongue, my throat tightens up and I hold back a gag, it tastes like how I imagine rubbing alcohol could.

I stick my tongue out, "People drink this plain?"

Emma is already gulping hers down, nodding. I look back down at my glass and breathe in, hold my breath, and knock it back.

My stomach warms up instantly, not too unpleasantly. I giggle, "I'm always the designated driver at parties. I don't have to drive if we drink at home though."

Emma scrunches her nose up again and does that silent laugh and ruffles my hair up. I pour us both another glass and clink cups with hers. After the taste stops registering as foul, I remember, "I should go see to Jean soon."

She brushes my arm with her hands and drawls, "Aw don't go just yet. The fun is just beginning."

I ask abruptly, "Tell me about yourself." I suddenly have the desire and curiosity to know more about this girl.

Pursing her lips, Emma says carefully, "What do you want to know?"

"Where are you ticklish?"  
She blinks her cold glass blue eyes at me widely and stutters, "M-my stomach of course. What a strange question."

As soon as she said it my hands were tickling rapidly at her abdomen and waist. She kicked her legs in the air and breathlessly giggled, struggling to push me away.

Tears formed in beads at the corners of her eyes and she could barely breathe or make a sound as she gasped in delight.

She threw her head back, her blonde hair having gotten loose from the elastic band and streaming down with her throat open and exposed.

I got an idea and tickled her lightly on her neck, feeling the urge to find out how her neck felt.

It was so soft and warm. She spluttered in giggles again, flailing as I found a new sensitive spot.

My chuckles joined hers and my fingers slowed down to soft strokes and I stopped laughing, then stopped tickling her altogether with my hands holding the sides of her neck, just below her earlobes.

A pink flush seemed to radiate from my hands up her neck to her cheeks, and Emma closed her eyes, seemingly melting against my palms.

When she opened her eyes, I was in front of them, leaning in closely before mumbling, "I need to go find Jean."

* * *

Stumbling slightly, I grabbed the railings to the stairs to find Jean. On the last step, I fumbled and rolled down a little and landed on my front.

Getting up, I found her sitting alone outside on the unused swings in the mansion gardens.

I staggered towards her, before losing my balance and falling head first right at her, completely taking her down to the ground with me.

All my muscles feel heavy and my arms are pinned around her as she gasps beneath me. I muttered, "I'm sorry Jean..."

I tried to get up, only unsuccessfully moving against her, barely able to prop myself up.

She grabbed my collar and pulled me down, "Oh Scott, it's okay, I'm sorry. You know what Emma's intent was though! You can't really blame me for that... You were almost at fault there too mister, if you didn't have such an understanding girlfriend. I'm liking this new assertive leader by the way, I didn't know you wanted it this way..." She consumed me in a kiss, which actually felt very very nice.

I stayed put right on top of her, letting her do whatever she wanted with me. Her hands felt good everywhere she put them.

She rolled me over and straddled my hips, as I uselessly sprawled back on the ground, unable to even lift my head.

Quick hands were unbuckling my belt, and I pushed down at the hands, mumbling, "No, no, bad-bad Jeannie. Not my...precious."

Back flat against the ground, I tried to wriggle out from under her, feeling drowsy and slow. I cried out, "Not...like...this! Please stop."

Even the hard ground against my back felt good, everything just felt amazing. I mumbled some more stuff, rolling around a little.

I sighed, "Let's talk. I-."

Jean reassured me, "We will", before kissing me and taking over.

WOWOWOWOWOWOW.

Two kids appeared, and one, Jamie, who was holding a ball, dropped it, letting it roll away.

The other one, Rahne, simply gaped in horror and stared accusingly at us. Jamie gulped and shook his head wildly.

I stretched my hand out toward them, "Help..." I managed to gasp.

Rahne sobbed, "We just wanted to sit on the swings!"

She turned and bolted, pigtails bouncing in the air.

Jamie backed away and the went after her.

* * *

I drifted off to sleep as Jean stood up and walked away, calling behind her shoulder, "I'll go pretend I was studying, we won't get in trouble."

The sky was dark by the time I woke up from my nap, and the air cooler. I stiffly sat up, feeling the ground under me.

A bolt of ice zapped me as Bobby stared down at me, pointing his finger. My belt was unbuckled still.

He laughed, "About time you came around, captain."

I muttered, "Shit, what time is it?" Bobby looked at his watch dramatically whipping his arm in front of his face, "About 9. You didn't miss much. Except of course, Jean totally having a bitch fit and flippin' out when she saw Emma passed out in your bed. You'd better run Scott. I'd run if I were you."

Clutching my stomach, I staggered up and blindly trotted into the darkness, away from the mansion.

That night, I slept in my car.

* * *

As I clear my stuff out of my locker for the end of the school year, I notice Rogue and her friend Risty, standing out from the crowd, and walking down the hallway.

I quickly crammed the last of some notes into my back pack and slammed the locker, approaching Rogue, who looked a little trapped when she saw me headed for her.

I acknowledged Risty and requested, "Rogue can I talk to you?" She looked at Risty, before shrugging and following me to an empty classroom.

"I just wanted to talk about what you said to Emma the other day."

Rogue furrowed her brows, "She deserves it, how can ya be on her side, Scott? She hurt you the most! What would she have done ta Kitty or Jean?"

I held my hands up, "I'm not on anyone's side, I'm just trying to be reasonable for the team. We have to put aside our grudges to work together and trust again. Let's not forget your own past, Rogue, and how you were with us in the beginning."

Defensively, Rogue challenged, "Are you calling me a hypocrite now? Watch it, Summers, you're not such a good example now either, Jean's furious at ya."

Stiffly, I replied, "I've yet to talk to her, but what we have is between us and we will deal with things on our own."

Rogue, visibly ticked off, crossed her arms and stalked off, "Whatevah."

I find Kitty in her room later that day, she's painting her nails. She beckons me to sit down on the floor with her as she fans her toenails, a pink nail polish brush in between her fingers.

I say seriously, "Kitty, we need to discuss your offensive comment to Emma the other day."

Her face fell and she whined, "We need to? No Scott. Our whole team like feels the same way, we all represent the group attitude, and we want Emma out, she never was a part of the X-Men and she doesn't even try. You're just like, so like fooled by her looks. Like all the other boys."

I asked, "Looks?! That has nothing to do with me addressing that you insulted another student."

Kitty blew at her nails and said, "Like, go talk to Jean. She like hit Emma. She should get like an award though."

That didn't go too well but I did as suggested and faced Jean who had been waiting for me in the gazebo outside.

The first thing she said to me was, "You know what sucks about being a telepath? You have to know everything, all the right answers, the truth, what people are really thinking, and what really happened. I saw in your heads, what happened wasn't as bad as I thought, but still Scott, can't I just have this? I'm so mad still, can't you see why a girl would still be pissed even if she knew the facts? Not to mention, you totally picked Emma over me on the baseball diamond, that was embarrassing and hurtful how could you do that to me Scott?"

I sat down next to her, and twiddled my thumbs stupidly, "Well..." I began, "I see why you'd be angry at me, and I don't deserve your forgiveness Jean. I'm sorry...I just didn't really think about things that way...I was just kind of going in the moment. As the leader, I have to be diplomatic in certain situations even if its involving...the girl that made my belly flop for four years."

Jean faced me, "Stop putting me on this pedestal Scott! You've always done that, you have no idea how I felt about you all this time." She put a warm hand on my wrist for a moment, forgetting that she was mad at me. "You don't even know the dumb reactions I had whenever I saw you. Just tell me one thing...is your little friendship with Emma going to be a problem...?"

I guffawed, "Friendship...I wouldn't call it that. She's still a traitor to me subjectively, but Jean, I have to think like a leader, like I said. So even if she's the worst person in the world, which I won't say about her, she's still a member of the team and if she's been hurt, I have to take care of it. You would understand, come on. The whole team is behind you, they're against Emma, and though Emma did harm us, she is alone now and we both know what that's like. I have to stand up for some things out of principle. Is it going to be a problem for you? I mean, I don't see why I have to treat Emma like an enemy when I'm supposed to show the team to accept her and work together."

Jean moaned, "You and your freaking principles. Scott...I've been thinking..."

I swallow. Uh oh. The dreaded talk, this is it, you blew your chance before you even got it, Summers, she wants to be just friends again.

"We should really define what we have, instead of skirting around everybody. School's out, we don't have to pretend we don't see each other when Taryn or Duncan are around. How do you feel about that? I get the feeling that you're not exactly ready for a relationship... I looked in your thoughts and you don't know what you want. How about I help define it for you?"

She is a telepath, she does know what we want despite our elaborate self-traps.

Touching her hand to my knee, she drew a deep breath and said, "Okay, I just had a telepathic history lesson with the Professor, he taught me about this psy-link that's like a telepathic bond or connection between more than one mind, kind of like a communicator and also an open porthole to each others thoughts, feelings, everything. Complete openness. If you're ready...I think we can take that step together, and I'd like to try it with you."

I nodded, "Of course, Jean." She put her hands on my temples and looked into my glasses, then her eyes turned bright pink and we were both chucked inside this highway of our minds fusing together.

Jean's voice reflected my mind to me, "You don't know what you want, and so you don't know what you're doing."

I continued for her, picking up on the thoughts she was unearthing, and opening my eyes in the physical world to look at her. "You're what I've always wanted Jean. I was so used to being friend-zoned though, and every time I see that you're with me now, I just can't believe it. I don't deserve you."

Jean reached out, cupping my face. She tilted her face to the side and said, "Of course you do Scott, sometimes I think I don't deserve you..."

A voice whispered out, "Ugh just like get it over with and make out already!"

Gasping, Jean threw her hands out and whipped Kitty, Bobby, and Kurt out of the rose bushes and in the air with her telekinesis.

They dangled over us, and Kitty squealed, "Like, all you two do is talk talk talk! You've talked for like ever, enough! Kiss already! Rahne and Jamie were crying about seeing a lot less shyer Jean and Scott earlier!"

Bobby laughed, "Yeah, we thought we might witness for ourselves. To er, make sure they weren't fibbing of course."

* * *

**AN: WarofLoMei: You wanted more drunk Scott earlier? Well here was some lol, hope it sufficed.**

**Soulmamma: Hey thanks for getting my pun and laughing lol. and thanks for the great feedback! I tried to add some more pudge to this chapter, fatten it up to be just under 3000 words. whoof do i run out of steam! and ideas haha. **

**SheJams: She Jams! Always with the right attitude and idea of where things are going. I agree, i would not let that slide if a girl like emma wore my bf's stuff, and i can see why one of scott's most endearing traits of being clueless can be annoying for the girls who want to be exclusive with him. hahaha there are so many old panels like back when everything was literally pen and ink comics, the good old original x-men, where young jean has thought bubbles getting all worked up and pissed off at like, old school scarlet witch flirting with scott and stuff. anyways sorry to ramble. haha thanks for the nice review as always! I appreciate your thoughtfulness. hahahaha and yeah, clothes just do always look better on girls.**

**Cathy: Thank you so much for being considerate and dropping me a review with such sweet encouragement! It does help but I don't wanna obligate ya at all! Seriously one word reviews are still reviews to me, huge deal! lol. thanks for reading!**

**TieDyeJackson: I'm glad I could sway in a Scogue fan for this fic! Scogue is pretty canon in fanfic x-men evo, huge following! Thank you so much for your kind words and positive feedback! :D**

**borismortyrs: Hehe thanks! Yep, I agree, and a girl who is eventually the Phoenix, should show her claws frequently, though she does work the whole nice girl next door thing well. (SOMETIMES THOSE ARE THE WORST! LOL JKJK). thanks for reading and reviewing! keep it classy.**

**Leh-xp: ahahah i love your enthusiasm! As for it being the phoenix, no not yet, it was just jean being an angry girlfriend. we'll let her have this one. girl fight...it's being kept at bay for the moment...gotta build up some super icy tension! shh ;) jk. Thank you for your support! **

**PhoenixFire606- You have no idea how happy and honored your reviews made me! Thank you. Shine on :D**

**Guest: omgomgomgomgomg. you gave my title an abbreviation. omgomg (i'm not being sarcastic i swear) that is like, kinda huge for me. that just...i'm brimming with virtual tears. As for the part about being a Scogue fan, see above comment to TieDyeJackson. Thank you for your reviewwwww! AHHH! :)**

**Elizabeth the Strange: You're amazing... Thank you for reading all chappies in one sitting. Thank you thank you, that is freakin awesome. **


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Oh you guys must hate me...haha. I'm sorry, I felt soo bad reading the reviews over the times, but I haven't had as much time, steam, or ideas lately. Plus, a mishap and a broken computer didn't help speed up the process! Anyway, I started writing this with a completely different direction in mind, but it turned into something a little more curve-bally or maybe random, but I hope I can manage to fit it in without seeming like too much of a foreign chapter. I wanted to add some more fights so that is the purpose of this chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

Oh crap, it's gonna blow.

I look to Kurt, who nods, understanding that one look on my face, as the beeping on a device stuck to a concrete wall intensifies.

There's four of us, and Kurt's weight capacity only allows him to carry a certain number of people. I shout, "TAKE THEM!"

He looks at me unsurely, but nods affirmatively, and throws his arms around Bobby and Amara, and with a flash, they're gone.

I high tail it out of there, just as the building behind me blows up, deteriorating with each step I take, barely escaping the fiery path burning up where I just was.

I feel the force of impact from the explosion and fly forward, the force pushing me up and causing my limbs to flail wildly.

I feel like I'm frozen in mid air for a second, all my limbs out and flapping as I free fall.

The heat and debris behind me cuts into my back.

I feel an aftershock of pressure and it causes my visor to bounce away from my face a bit, but rebound with my skin.

Everything is telling me to run, there's smoke consuming everything, thick clouds that you can't even breathe through.

I know the taste of destruction, I've known it from a young age.

Everything is telling me to run.

My ears are ringing, echoes pound my brain, the impact of the explosion makes my whole body feel already bruised.

Disorientated, almost falling to the ground, fumble, can't hear a thing, but see my feet step forward. My body straightens out after wobbling side to side a few steps, and I run, only feeling ground underneath me, that is all I know.

I'm running again, I'm running for my life, I'm 14 again and running for my life, a tootsie pop and box of cake mix tucked into my belt.

"STOP HIM! STOP THAT BOY! HE'S A THIEF! MUTIE SCUM!"

I don't even turn, just determinedly face forward as I quicken my steps, and run so hard I feel like I'll pound my legs off. A couple shots are fired by me, but I have to ignore them. They know me, they know I've stolen from them before and are out to really put an end to it. There is rubble behind us, one of the guards had snuck up behind me as I was leaving the store and knocked my glasses off in the tussle, causing me to inadvertently blast a hole through the walls.

I'm skinny then, lanky and slim but that's not what I'm thinking about when I'm trying to outrun the burly security guards behind me.

My glasses are wobbling off and I clutch them desperately, trying to keep them on while my legs move.

Quickly ducking into a secret alleyway, and swinging from a fire escape into a literal hole in the wall, I enter a run down basement apartment.

Panting, I cling to the shabby brick wall, dust coating my fingertips as I hold on for dear life, catching my breath. My heart is pumping from running, from fear, from barely escaping with my life.

My sneakers used to be white, but they are worn down, the soles flopping and rubbed down to thin flaps. They are dirty and the laces are frayed, the rest of my clothes aren't much better.

My hair is slightly overgrown, shaggy, and I haven't eaten in a few days.

With shaking fingers, I quickly unwrap the newspaper wrapped box of cake mix and advance towards a crevice in the wall, behind a wooden shelf.

I push it aside and hold my shaking hands out. A small frail figure unfolds thin legs and crawls out, dirty pink hair hanging down over a small face.

She scoots forth onto my lap and clings to me, hugging me as tightly as her small arms will allow.

I clasp her back awkwardly and unwrap the tootsie pop, before popping it in her mouth. Her cute mouth grins around the lollipop and she gets busy with the savory candy.

I turn on the abandoned old oven that is barely working and get the assortment of scraps together to fashion some cake out of this box. I read the back of the box, and try to figure out the instructions.

I feel something hug my leg and look down at the shorter girl with her arm around me. She is sucking on her lollipop and looking up at me with strange black eyes, something in my pounding heart settles and I feel safe for now.

When the cake is finished, I try to stick some old candles I found into it, and give it to the girl. I purposely picked a strawberry short cake, the pink reminded me of her hair which I constantly remind her is nothing to be ashamed of, even though people threw rocks at her for looking different.

I whisper to her, trying to cheer her up with my feeble cake, "Happy 9th birthday, Meg."

She gives me an unfailing, chipper smile with a tooth missing, and digs in. In her strange accent, she says, "My wish came true, you came back." I smiled, "Make another one." She nods and shuts her eyes tightly, then blows it out. I ask, "What did you wish for this time?"

Grinning with her gap toothed smile, she whispers, "'Tis a secret."

I'm still running, in the present, my feet just keep going, and my head is spinning, I try to keep focused, but my mind wanders and tricks itself into the past and I think I am running to get back to that hole, to get away from the guards, and get back to the girl I kept safe. Keep running. Get back to her. She won't have anyone if I don't make it back. I don't have anyone, except for her at this moment. This is what keeps me going even when my body wants to get back. It's all the same formula, all my life, get to Alex, grab him before we land, get back to the X-Men, no matter how tired I am, they need me, they need a leader.

I don't see the blast of fire shooting towards me, I only feel the heat as it explodes behind me and pushes me down.

I can barely keep conscious, and I feel a boot pressing down on the back of my head, smushing my face into the ground.

An insane cackle erupts above me and the owner of the boot, Pyro, blasts his flame thrower around, "Cyclops has fallen! The mighty Pyro has taken down the X-Geek!"

My arms feel like lead but I lift them up, ready to grab onto his boot and flip him over, but then a pair of clicky feet crunch into the scene.

"Unhand him, lunatic."

I growl, "Emma, I really don't need your saving..." Again I forget to add.

She crystallizes and sends a sharp high kick cracking in Pyro's face, knocking him out cold.

I stand up shakingly, brushing off.

Emma sighs, looking over my shoulder as she picks some rubble off of it, "There's a lot of things you don't need, Cyclops, that you insist on having in your life, and there's a lot of things you do need. I'm one of them. You just don't know it yet."

I grumble, "I was fine..."

She smiles, "Look behind you." I turn and see a massive, towering figure hovering behind me with a grim but wicked grin.

A large and sharp metal shard hangs over my head, mid-swing. I growl with as much hate as I can muster, "Magneto..."

Emma tackles me to the ground just in time as the floating metal comes down where I had been standing.

As I roll over and prop myself up on my elbow with Emma clutched at my side, I hit my visor and blow the piece away with a crimson beam.

Pyro gets up slowly, rubbing his face and yells, "Hey Neat-o! Catch!"

Flinging a sharp and broken metal rod in the air towards Magneto, Pyro blasts fire at it, making it glow red hot.

Magneto concentrates with a quick hand out and levitates it quickly down to the ground at us.

The blistering red hot heat from the manipulated metal pierces the ground easily like a hot knife on butter right as I roll over to the side, on top of Emma.

Giggling manically, Pyro flings up more metal scraps and debris, some as small as bullets, and shoots fire at them. Magneto then sends them raining down on as much surface areas as he can.

I groan and grit my teeth, as hot metal pieces scatter down on my back, burning through my protective gear and uniform.

I actually fear that they'll burn straight through me and onto Emma.

I'll have holes in my back, great...

I'll be dead, great...

I clench my fists, each at the side of Emma's head on the ground, as I prop myself up on my elbows above her, pressing my arms down.

I really don't think I can take it anymore, this searing pain, the hot metal sizzling onto my back, the hard impact, when suddenly the rain of metal is cool again. Pyro shouts, "My fire!" He tries to shoot flames at more metal, but smoke only issues from his palms.

I open my eyes and am staring straight into Emma's. She reaches up with a cool hand and touches my face softly, and suddenly the pain disappears.

I grunt, "How'd you get in my head? You turned off my pain sensors? You didn't need to."

She shakes her head, smiling and with her blonde hair splayed around her, "You don't even know what you need, Scott."

A screech disrupts us as Pyro falls to his knees, clutching his head, blood trickling from his nose.

I quickly roll off of Emma onto my back, and shoot a blast at Magneto who is hovering in the air.

I send him flying back a couple yards, and his helmet flies off, the magnetic connection broken momentarily.

"Emma, now!" I shout, and she focuses her mind on the powerful mutant.

* * *

**AN: REVIEW SHOUTOUTS TO MY LOVELY AND PATIENT REVIEWERS! I LOVE YOU ALL!**

**BlueJay20: I am so honored and flattered, your comment made me insanely happy. Thank you for loving this fic, it means a lot to me...! Glad to hear from you :)**

**Cathy: Thanks for the sincere words, I hope I can keep up to your standards with these updates! This writer appreciates reviewers like yourself! With all the right reason and logic.**

**SheJams: Oh man oh man, my fave fan girl! I think we're the same kind of fan or something cause literally that astonishing scan with emma saying scott will never see her naked again and like all the other x-men moments you've pointed out, are my favorites. Thanks for quoting that chapter, I just want Scott to be represented as best as he should be, for the strong character he truly is. Oh man, yeah Kitty is adorable in the evo verse, that's where I liked her most. Jean might have to mindwipe the Rahne and Jamie for their trauma. hehe. Anyway, until next time!**

**TieDyeJackson: Hahaha "goddess pawing at his front door"...that made me laugh. Thanks for commending this chapter, your reviews always have such valuable and witty context :D**

**PhoenixFire606: This chapter is definitely for you! I know I was missing some action scenes for a while... I like your point on liking Jean even if I make her kind of bitchy...Thank you! I used to like her the most, and I loved JOTT with all my heart, but then I started seeing the true sides of Jean and let's just say I don't ship her as much anymore. However, when writing fics, I try to portray characters I like in a true way so they're showing the sides bashers or fans seem to ignore, and same with characters I don't think much of. Like Jean, I have a grudge on her character now, but I try to at least writer her justice and I actually don't hate her, I just think she's a bitch sometimes, but I don't think that's an insult to her character. I just try to make it as real as I can. Jean Grey is a great character, one of the best X-Men, but she was also a human girl with mood swings! That's what endears me to her, that she's this girl with her own hang ups that gets stuck with this amazing phoenix power.**

**ReNewit: You my friend, are spectacular. That means a lot to me, I know what it's like staying up after hours engrossed in a good fic and not being able to stop until I finished chapters. The fact that you did that for this fic is just humbling. Thank you. Hah and I don't think Jean is going to let Emma get away anytime soon... ;)**

**ElizabeththeStrange: Love your avatar btw! Hope this update was alright with you, will try to hurry next time.**

**Paranoid: Heheh your review was funny. Thanks for beign hooked, hope you're still there!**

**Q-Tee: You're making me tear up again... :')**


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